Exhibit to showcase ‘Savage Ancient World’

Kansas City, Mo. — The late Cretaceous period will come to life this month as “Savage Ancient World: The Last American Dinosaurs” opens at Crown Center.

The exhibit is on display Jan. 18 to May 4 in the Level 1 Showplace of the Crown Center Shops at 2450 Grand Blvd. Admission is free.

The exhibit will include original fossils and a dozen complete cast skeletons. The museum-quality casts, molded from original fossil specimens, include Albertosaurus, Oviraptor, Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus rex.

Several authentic specimens also will be available for viewing. They include T. rex bones, Triceratops bones and the tibia from an Edmontosaurus.

The exhibit is presented by Triebold Paleontology Inc., a world leader in the collection of fossil specimens.

Hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Wednesday and Saturday; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday and Friday; and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. The exhibit is closed Easter Sunday.

Heartland Theatre stages ‘The Dinner Party’

Kansas City, Mo. — The American Heartland Theatre will open its production of Neil Simon’s romantic comedy “The Dinner Party” on Jan. 10. The show runs through Feb. 23 at the theatre in Crown Center, 2450 Grand Blvd.

The play centers around a party that takes place in a posh and private dining room at a Paris hotel. Three couples receive mysterious dinner invitations, leading to moments of mystery, mayhem and comedy.

Starring in the Kansas City production are Craig Benton, Bob Brand, Gary Holcombe, Cheryl Weaver, Melissa Flaim and Peggy Friesen. Donna Thomason directs the play.

Tickets range from $15 to $29 and are available by phone at (816) 842-9999 or online at www.ahtkc.com/

Blues Society sponsors two January concerts

Kansas City, Mo. — The Kansas City Blues Society will sponsor two blues concerts in January.

The first show will feature Anthony Gomes at 9 p.m. Jan. 17 at the Grand Emporium, 3832 Main St. The concert is free to society members, $7 for nonmembers.

Philadelphia Jerry Ricks, one of the giants of traditional blues music, will perform at 9 p.m. Jan. 24 at BB’s Lawnside Bar BQ, 1205 E. 85th St. The show is free to society members, $5 for nonmembers.

Lyrikids take on ‘Mystery on the Docks’

Kansas City, Mo. — Lyrikids will perform the family-friendly opera “Mystery on the Docks” at 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Jan 10 at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art’s Atkins Auditorium.

The story follows Ralph, an opera-loving, short-order cook, who saves his favorite singer from the clutches of tough rat kidnappers. The opera, composed by Edward Barnes, is based on the book of the same title by Thacher Hurd. Music by Puccini, Bizet, Rossini, Mozart and Wagner are among those featured in the performance.

Lyrikids is the professional training school for elementary through high school youths who have attended the Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s summer camp. Students attend weekly classes at the Lyric Opera to prepare for performance in principal roles in Lyric productions.

For more information, call (816) 751-1367.