“Next Fall” begins @ Unicorn Theatre

wednesday

The Unicorn Theatre’s first production of 2012 tackles the complexity of love in Geoffrey Nauffts’ “Next Fall,” which follows the five-year relationship of Luke and Adam, a gay couple who fall on opposite ends of the religious spectrum. “Next Fall” debuted off-Broadway in 2009 and later made the jump to Broadway. The Tony-nominated play starts previews Wednesday and runs through Feb. 12 (no shows on Mondays). Tickets are $22.50-$37.50 at unicorntheatre.org.

College basketball: Missouri vs. Texas

monday

Frank Haith’s Missouri men’s basketball team closes out January playing some of the best basketball in the country. The Tigers (18-1) have survived the loss of big man Laurence Bowers to emerge as one of college basketball’s surprise stories this season. They’re unbeaten at home through two-thirds of the season. And they’ve won by an impressive scoring margin of 19.8 points per game. A Big Monday matchup against Big 12 foe Texas, who the Tigers beat 84-73 earlier this season, represents a final tuneup before the team’s Feb. 4 matchup with rival Kansas in Columbia. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. in Austin, Texas, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

Shen Yun 2012

tuesday

In just six years the New York-based Shen Yun company has evolved into a multifaceted spectacle, a colorful collection of dance and music meant to honor and rekindle China’s rich traditional culture. Stocked with dozens of performers, including award-winning dancers and vocalists, Shen Yun has toured across the world. On Tuesday the group performs at 7:30 p.m. at the Music Hall. Tickets are $40-$100 at shenyunperformingarts.org.

WWE Raw Supershow

monday

The phenomenon that is professional wrestling has managed to endure the test of time, and this week brings the WWE and its assortment of fighters to the Sprint Center for a one-night show. The evening’s WWE Championship match pits CM Punk against The Miz. The RAW Challenge match features John Cena and Kane. Chris Jericho also returns to the ring in this nationally televised event, which begins at 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $15-$60. Details at sprintcenter.com.

Polar Plunges

saturday

Hypothermia be damned at the annual Polar Plunges that benefit Special Olympics in Missouri and Kansas. The annual Kansas Polar Plunge and Strut starts at 10 a.m. with a 5K run/walk through Shawnee Mission Park. The plunge kicks off at noon, when you can take a dip in the frigid water at the park’s swim beach. The post-plunge party and awards ceremony begins an hour later at Johnny’s Tavern in Olathe, where a $10 donation to the Special Olympics of Kansas will get you a chili lunch. Registration is $30 for the run/walk, a minimum $75 fundraising fee for the plunge or $105 minimum fundraising fee for both. Missouri’s Polar Plunge takes place the same day at noon at Longview Lake Beach. A minimum $75 fundraising fee is required. Go to ksso.org(Kansas) or somo.org(Missouri) to register.