Threatre roundup for the week of July 12

OPENING

DISNEY'S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST JR.

July 12 to 21 @ Rich Heritage of Cedar Rapids

Thirty young people perform the classic story of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed to his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity. Times: 7:30 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; 1200 Second Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids. Tickets: $15 adults, $10 ages 5 to 18, free ages 4 and under, but ticket still needed; Rhcrtheatre.wixsite.com/rhcrtheatre. American Sign Language interpreters on July 20. Sneak peek: 12:30 to 1 p.m. Saturday (7/7), Cedar Rapids Public Library, 450 Fifth Ave. SE, free.

From Child Star to Diplomat: Shirley Temple Black

Wednesday (7/11) @ National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, Cedar Rapids

Historical portrayer JoAnn Peterson of West Virginia brings Shirley Temple Black to life, telling humorous and poignant stories of how the darling of the Silver Screen and world's top box office draw from 1935-38 grew up to be the U.S. Ambassador to Czechoslovakia during the fall of Communism, playing a part in the Velvet Revolution. The presentation, written by and performed by Peterson, is based on archival materials, interviews, articles, books and information provided by people who knew Temple Black, including her family members, and Ambassador Tom Hull, her public affairs officer while in Prague. In November 2017, Peterson performed this show at the U.S. Embassy's American Center in Prague. Time: 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday (7/11), National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, 1400 Inspiration Place SW, Cedar Rapids. Tickets: $12, Ncsml.org/event/shirley-temple-black/ Extras: View Peterson's collection of memorabilia that belonged to Shirley Temple Black; WFLA doors open at 6:30 p.m., cash bar in Grand Hall.

PICNIC

July 12 to 21 @ Classics at Brucemore, Cedar Rapids

Pulitzer Prize-winning play written in 1955 that takes place on the porches of two homes on Labor Day weekend in a small town in Kansas. In this story about love and coming of age, a charming and handsome young drifter arrives the morning of the picnic. In just 24 hours, the unmarried women explore what love is, what it feels like, and who they are with or without it. Times: 7:30 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, Brucemore's Peggy Boyle Whitworth Amphitheater, 2160 Linden Dr. SE, Cedar Rapids. Tickets: $20 adults, $15 students, $5 discount for Brucemore members, in advance at the Brucemore Visitor Center, (319) 362-7375 or Brucemore.org or $25 at the gate. Extras: Gates open at 6:30 p.m., bring lawn chairs, blankets, picnics and beverages.

ONGOING

HAMILTON

To July 15 @ Des Moines Civic Center

Lin-Manuel Miranda's story of America's Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, an immigrant from the West Indies who became George Washington's right-hand man during the Revolutionary War and was the new nation's first Treasury Secretary. Featuring a score that blends hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B and Broadway, 'Hamilton” is the story of America then, as told by America now. Times: various, to July 15; Des Moines Civic Center, 221 Walnut St. Tickets: Essentially sold out, with sporadic availability; BUT, 40 $10 tickets in the front rows are being released daily by lottery via the 'Hamilton” app and Hamiltonmusical.com/lottery. Lottery: Opens at 11 a.m. two days before the performance date and closes at 9 a.m. one day before the performance date, with just one entry per person; after the lottery closes, winners and non-winners will be informed by 11 a.m. and winners have until 4 p.m. to buy up to two tickets the day before the performance; full details at Desmoinesperformingarts.org/events/hamilton/

HEATHERS: THE MUSICAL

To July 15 @ Theatre Cedar Rapids

Based on the classic 1989 film, Westerberg High is ruled by a shoulder-padded, scrunchie-wearing squad: Heather Chandler, Heather McNamara and Heather Duke - the hottest and cruelest girls in all of Ohio. Misfit Veronica Sawyer rejects their evil regime for a new boyfriend, the dark and sexy stranger J.D., who plans to put the Heathers in their place: six feet under. Times: 7:30 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday; Theatre Cedar Rapids, 102 Third St. SE. Tickets: $28 to $36, signed performance July 14; TCR Box Office, (319) 366-8591 or Theatrecr.org.

THE 39 STEPS

To July 22 @ Riverside Theatre, Iowa City

Mix Hitchcock with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python, and you have this fast-paced whodunit. The Tony- and Drama Desk Award-winning play features more than 150 zany characters played by a four-person cast. Along with the laughs come an onstage plane crash, missing fingers and old-fashioned romance. Times: 7:30 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; Riverside Theatre, 213 N. Gilbert St., Iowa City. Tickets: $30, (319) 338-7672 or Riversidetheatre.org/buytickets/