June 10, 2008 issue

110 IN THE SHADE: Lorenzo Toia (Starbuck) and Jenny Tocco (Lizzie), both seniors from Livonia, rehearse a scene from "110 in the Shade," a musical based on N. Richard Nash's "The Rainmaker." The EMU Theatre production is directed by Ken Stevens with musical direction by R. Mackenzie Lewis. Set in a western, drought-ridden town of the 1930s, the musical follows the story of Lizzie, a woman whose vitality of spirit and steadfast candor keep most men at arm's length, despite the attempts of her father and brothers to find a suitor. The arrival of Starbuck, a conman "rainmaker", disrupts the doldrums with a promise to bring relief from the drought for only $100. The play concluded its run June 7 at Sponberg Theatre.

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