After they wrote the off-Broadway hit "The Fantasticks," Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt turned their attention to a musical version of the drama "The Rainmaker." N. Richard Nash did the honors of reshaping his own play into a libretto, and Jones and Schmidt worked up a score featuring "Love Don't Turn Away" and "Simple Little Things."

This show, titled "110 in the Shade," was nominated for a Tony in 1963. In it, a small 1930s town in the American southwest is suffering from a debilitating drought. Coming into town is Bill Starbuck, who claims he'll be able to make it rain. He meets Lizzie Curry, a plain spinster who has just turned away the attentions of the local sheriff. She and Starbuck spar and flirt.

The Spirit of Broadway Theater will perform "100 in the Shade" starting Tuesday.

- Kristina Dorsey

"110 in the Shade," The Spirit of Broadway Theater, 24 Chestnut St., Norwich; opens Tuesday and runs through Aug. 10; 7 p.m. Wed. and Thurs., 8 p.m. Fri. and Sat., 2 p.m. Sun.; $32; (860) 886-2378.