Performing arts groups—whether theater, music or ballet—are back on stage this year to make the holiday season brighter for audiences of all ages.
Dance
SMUIN CONTEMPORARY BALLET brings its “Christmas Ballet” to the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts Dec. 2-5 after a two-day stint in Walnut Creek. The show marks the first time in two years that Smuin is staging live performances. Its holiday production features ballet, jazz, tap and swing. The “Cool Christmas” second act features the iconic “Santa Baby,” complete with a 42-foot feather boa. Tickets are $25-$99 at 415-912-1899 or www.smuinballet.org.
New Ballet’s “MY VERY FIRST NUTCRACKER,” a one-act version of the company’s “SAN JOSE NUTCRACKER,” is designed for young audiences. Both ballets run Dec. 18 – 22 at California Theatre in downtown San Jose. Tickets are $17-$91 at 408-792-4111 or www.newballet.com.
Music
Tomaseen Foley’s “A CELTIC CHRISTMAS” will re-create Christmas Eve in a remote Irish village Dec. 22 at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. This production includes traditional Irish dancers and singers as well as storytelling, Uilleann pipes, whistles and flutes. Tickets are $35-$63 at 650-903-6000 or www.MVCPA.com.
For “COOL YULE,” the Hammer Theatre Center in downtown San Jose features the San Jose State University Jazz Orchestra in an evening of jazzy renditions of holiday classics. The Valley Christian High School Jazz Ensemble will make a guest appearance at this one-night only event Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $29 at 408-924-8501 or www.hammertheatre.com.
“CAROLS IN THE CALIFORNIA” is set for Dec. 11 at the California Theatre in downtown San Jose. This is the 14th year the Symphony San Jose Chorale is staging a sing-along of holiday carols, featuring both a choir and a brass ensemble. Symphony San Jose will also perform. Tickets are $26-$36 at 408-286-2600 or www.symphonysanjose.org.
The RAGAZZI BOYS CHORUS presents “Mysteries and Miracles” at 4 p.m. on Dec. 12 at Old First Church in San Francisco. The The chorus’ first live holiday event in two years will also be livestreamed. They’ll sing a combination of traditional and contemporary holiday music. Tickets are $20, with a suggested donation of $25 per livestream viewing, at 650-342-8785 or www.ragazzi.org.
Theater
“IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY” runs through Dec. 4-26 at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto. Just five actors will perform dozens of roles and provide all the sound effects for TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s production. Tickets are $30-$95 at 877-662-8978 or www.theatreworks.org; on-demand video streaming tickets are $25.
“THE 1940S RADIO HOUR” runs through Dec. 19 at the Hillbarn Theatre in Foster City. The show is set in New York on Dec. 21, 1942, when soldiers, singers, dancers and musicians all perform some of the best-known songs of that era. Tickets are $30-$58 at www.hillbarntheatre.org; enter the promo code “tunein” for a $10 discount.
“EVERY BRILLIANT THING” is a 60-minute, one-person interactive performance that invites the audience to become part of the theatrical experience. Two actors will alternate performances for Los Altos Stage Company’s Dec. 3-19 run at the Bus Barn Theatre in Los Altos. Tickets are $23-$35 at www.losaltosstage.org.
Events
Downtown San Jose’s 3Below Theaters & Cafe presents a “FIDDLER ON THE ROOF SING ALONG” Dec. 25-26. Those who attend a screening will receive “fun packs” of props related to the movie musical, and dressing up as Tevye or any of his family members—or the titular fiddler, for that matter—is encouraged. Tickets are $17 at https://sanjoseplayhouse.org/alongs.
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