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Next week, Cain Park, in Cleveland Heights, will be home to a production of a show that's something of a rarity - Tom Jones and Joseph Thalken's Harold and Maude: An Intimate Musical. The production will run July 31 through August 17.

Based on the 1971 cult movie favorite about the oddest of odd couples, "Harold & Maude" celebrates the importance of life, love and individuality. Young Harold is someone who seeks to gain the attention of his self-absorbed mother through a series of fake suicide attempts. Elderly Maude spends every waking moment in eccentric pursuits of happiness. The two nonconformists meet while crashing a funeral and the high-spirited Maude eventually manages to bequeath her intense love of life and art to the young man who eventually falls in love with her and is changed forever.

"Harold & Maude" was one of a select group of new musicals chosen to be showcased at the 2003 Festival of New Musicals In New York City by the National Alliance for Musical Theatre whose mission is to "nurture the creation, development, production, presentation and recognition of new musicals and classics." It premiered in 2005 at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey and has been produced at TheatreWorks in San Francisco and most recently at Dayton's Human Race Theatre Company.

The production of the musical in Cain Park will be directed by Victoria Bussert and feature choreography from Janet Watson. Scenic and lighting design is by Russ Borski and costume design is from Terry Pieritz.

Performances of "Harold and Maude" at Cain Park will be Wednesday through Sunday at 7:30pm. Tickets are $20-$22 and can be purchased by visiting www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 216-241-5555. Further information is available online at www.cainpark.com