Lyrics like “Don’t be loco, use the cocoa” and “I love candy now and later” were part of the many originally adapted songs featured in the Thurston Players' 36th annual production this weekend.

The play this year, the Candy Dancer, was held in the Clague Middle School auditorium for a three-night showing beginning on Thursday. The final performance is scheduled for 7 p.m. today.

The cast of almost 200 people included both children and adults. The play is set in the 1920s during a candy prohibition.

Full of homemade costumes, creative set designs and clever one-liners, the Candy Dancer takes the audience on a journey as the Counter-Candy Corps attempts to thwart candy consumption.

Hundreds of volunteers in the Thurston community come together each year to write a script, choose songs, choreograph dances, and help with other aspects of production. Anyone associated with Thurston Elementary can help behind the scenes or act in the play.

Proceeds from the play are donated to Thurston Elementary School.

Lizzy Alfs is a junior at the University of Michigan majoring in English. She is also a news reporter for the Michigan Daily. Email her with events and news relating to Ann Arbor’s North Side.