The Secret Garden, Uncle Rabbit's Adventures and more theatre productions to check out

OPENING

FREEDOM STAR

June 14 @ Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre

Near life-size handheld puppets, rod puppets, shadow puppets and hand-dyed scenery tell a dramatic moving story, based on local history of a young girl who escapes from a farm in Missouri and makes her way through Iowa on her way to freedom. 'Freedom Star: Gertie's Journey of the Underground Railroad' uses local and regional history references, including John Brown's years spent in Iowa, with topical songs written and played by Iowa musician Ron Hills.

Time: 6 p.m. June 14, African American Museum of Iowa, 55 12th Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids. Admission: $5; Blackiowa.org

THE SECRET GARDEN

Friday (6/8) to July 1 @ Giving Tree Theater, Marion

Orphaned in India, 11 year-old Mary Lennox returns to Yorkshire to live with her embittered, reclusive uncle Archibald and his invalid son, Colin. The estate's many wonders include a magic garden which beckons the children with haunting melodies and the 'Dreamers,' spirits from Mary's past who guide her through her new life, dramatizing story's tale of forgiveness and renewal. Musical.

Times: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; Giving Tree Theater, 752 10th St., Marion. Tickets: $26, box office, (319) 213-7956 or Givingtreetheater.com

THE TELEPHONE

Wednesday (6/13) @ Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre

Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre Young Artists will perform 'The Telephone' by Gian Carlo Menotti, a short one-act English-language comic opera. Storyline: Ben (baritone) visits Lucy (coloratura soprano) at her apartment with the intention to propose marriage, but Lucy is stuck on the phone in a series of seemingly endless conversations. Ben, not wanting to miss his train, begins to try desperately to get Lucy off the phone to make his proposal. Time: 1 p.m. Wednesday (6/13), Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, 410 Third Ave. SE,; free, no reservations required. Details: Cr-opera.org or Crma.org

UNCLE RABBIT'S ADVENTURES

Various dates @ Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre

Uncle Rabbit's Adventures uses large, crafted hand puppets and lots of props to tell the story of a wealthy land-owning goat who doesn't want to share with his neighbors. Watch Tio Conejo and his wife, Rosita, tend to their chores, plant, harvest and trick Senor Cabra (Mr. Goat) into sharing his agricultural wealth.

Times: Monday (6/11): 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 6 to 7 p.m., Cedar Rapids Public Library, 450 Fifth Ave. SE, free. Monday (6/11): 3 to 4 p.m., Ladd Library, 3750 Williams Blvd. SW, Cedar Rapids, free. Tuesday (6/12): 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 2 p.m., Cedar Rapids Public Library, 450 Fifth Ave. SE, free.

ONGOING

FUDDY MEERS

Friday (6/1) to June 17 @ Grandon Studio, Theatre Cedar Rapids

This poignant and wicked new comedy by Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Lindsay-Abaire traces one woman's attempt to regain her memory while surrounded by a curio-cabinet of alarmingly bizarre characters, including her chipper husband, her so-called-brother, a dimwitted thug with a foul-mouthed hand puppet, and her perpetually stoned son. It's a roller-coaster ride through the day of an amnesiac trying to decipher her fractured life. Rated: R.

Times: 7:30 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday; Grandon Studio, Theatre Cedar Rapids, 102 Third St. SE. Tickets: $19 to $24, TCR Box Office, (319) 366-8591 or Theatrecr.org

THE SAVANNAH SIPPING SOCIETY

Thursday (5/31) to June 24 @ Old Creamery Theatre, Amana

After a hot yoga class brings together four women 'of a certain age,' they decide their sassy humor and Southern charms are better suited for solving life's problems over cocktails. Rated PG.

Times: 2 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday; Old Creamery Theatre, 39 38th Ave., Amana. Tickets: $31.50 adults, $19.50 students, box office, (319) 622-6262 or Oldcreamery.com

UPCOMING

RETURN TO THE FORBIDDEN PLANET: City Circle Acting Company, June 15 to 17, Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, 1301 Fifth St., Coralville. Annual teen show; jukebox musical based on Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' and the 1956 science fiction film 'Forbidden Planet,' $12 to $27, venue box office, (319) 248-9370 or Coralvillearts.org 

BRIGADOON: Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre: Magical musical set in the Scottish Highlands; 7:30 p.m. June 14 to 17, Brucemore's outdoor amphitheater, 2160 Linden Dr. SE, Cedar Rapids; bring seating, picnics; gate opens at 6:30 p.m.; $25 adults, $15 students and Brucemore members in advance, $30 day of show, Brucemore.org or (319) 362-7375; information Cr-opera.org/content/Tickets.aspx 

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING: Riverside Theatre in the Park, Shakespearean comedy, 7:30 p.m. June 15 to 24, Lower City Park, 200 Park Rd., Iowa City; free admission, Riversidetheatre.org/riverside-s-summer-2018

THE MISS FIRECRACKER CONTEST: June 22 to July 1, Starlighters II, 200 E. Main St., Anamosa; $15 to $16, Starlighters.org/missfirecracker

MARK TWAIN: 1:30 p.m. June 24, Dubuque Museum of Art, 701 Locust St., Dubuque. The popular 'Famous Dead Artist' series returns with actor Doug Donald playing the role of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his pen name, Mark Twain. The event will explore his long and colorful life, which was filled with spectacular triumphs and heartbreaking tragedies. Based on 'Inside the Actor's Studio with James Lipton,' the program will be moderated by Kevin Firnstahl. Admission: free, first-come, first-served seating, doors open at 12:45 p.m. 

HEATHERS: THE MUSICAL: June 29 to July 15, Theatre Cedar Rapids, 102 Third St. SE; 7:30 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday; $28 to $36, TCR Box Office, (319) 366-8591 or Theatrecr.org

THE 39 STEPS: June 29 to July 22, Riverside Theatre, 213 N. Gilbert St., Iowa City; 7:30 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; $30, (319) 338-7672 or Riversidetheatre.org/buytickets/

DISNEY'S ALADDIN JR.: Young Footliters, June 29 to July 1, Coralville Center for the Performing Arts, 1301 Fifth St., Coralville; 7 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; $13 to $19, venue box office, (319) 248-9370 or Coralvillearts.org 

PICNIC: Classics At Brucemore: 7:30 p.m. July 12 to 14 and 19 to 21, Peggy Boyle Whitworth Amphitheater, Brucemore, 2160 Linden Dr. SE, Cedar Rapids; bring seating and picnics, gates open 6:30 p.m.; $15 to $25, Brucemore.org/events/annual-events/calendar 

THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE: Brucemore Outdoor Children's Theater: 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. Aug. 1 to 4, Peggy Boyle Whitworth Amphitheater, Brucemore, 2160 Linden Dr. SE, Cedar Rapids; bring seating, snacks; $5 ages 1 and up, at the gate; Brucemore.org