Nollaig shona! (That’s ‘Merry Christmas’ in Irish.) This Wednesday, Tomáseen Foley’s A Celtic Christmas—now in its 25th season—comes to the South Bay a day after the winter solstice. Celebrating the light to come after the longest nights of the year, A Celtic Christmas shares Irish tradition through story, dance and song. The multi-talented company includes Grammy Award-winning guitarist and ethnomusicologist William Coulter, Brian Bigley on Irish flute and Uilleann pipes (and more!), plus the ethereal singing of vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Eimar Arkins.

A Celtic Christmas
Wed, 7pm, $53+
Center for the Performing Arts, Mt View

Some think of ballet as a stuffy art form. At this year’s Dance Series 1, the Smuin Contemporary Ballet shatters that assumption, with a performance of “The Man in Black,” a ballet danced in cowboy boots and featuring the music of Johnny Cash. Also on the bill, the former Smuin artist Rex Wheeler’s “Take Five” is set to the jazzy beat of Dave Brubeck. The program will also feature a piece by the late Michael Smuin—“Carmina Burana”—set to Carl Orff’s sensuous cantata of the same name.

Dance Series 1
Thu-Sun, $25+
Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts

Celebrated pianist Mona Golabek memorializes her mother, Lisa Jura, in this internationally acclaimed, one-woman show and musical performance. Created and directed by a TheatreWorks regular Hershey Felder The Pianist of Willesden Lane features performances of Bach, Beethoven and Rachmaninoff fused with lively storytelling as it tracks Jura’s escape from Nazi-occupied Austria to a children’s home in London. Originally scheduled to close on Feb. 9, the show has been extended to Feb. 16 due to popular demand.

The Pianist of Willesden Lane
Thu, 8pm, $25+
Mountain View Center for Performing Arts

It’s a long way to the top if you want to rock and reel. A series of climbing films are coming to Mountain View to keep all you Silicon Valley senders stoked, even as the days get shorter, colder and (presumably… eventually) wetter. The event will feature three short documentaries: The High Road, about bouldering boundary-pusher Nina Williams, United States of Joe’s about climbers colliding with conservative Utah natives, and The Nose Speed Record, wherein Alex Honnold and Tommy Caldwell attempt to take their title back from Jim Reynolds and Brad Gobright.

Reel Rock
Mon, 7pm, $27+
Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts

If you missed veteran actor Dan Hiatt singing in ACT’s recent production of Vanity Fair, he leads the cast of Randal Myler and Dan Wheetman’s River of Song. Join Mark Twain and friends on this TheatreWorks Silicon Valley production as they travel down the Mississippi River singing traditional songs, including “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child” and “Deep River Blues.” This rollicking adventure features guitars, banjos and harmonicas—and, of course, some of Twain’s most iconic characters. River of Song runs Tuesday through Sunday until Oct. 27.

Mark Twain’s River of Song
Wed, 8pm, $30+
Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts

The Bay Area’s powerhouse dance company Smuin Ballet kicks off its 25th season with a performance of several new works by a variety of choreographers. This year’s Dance Series 01 includes a tribute to the late diva Etta James; founder Michael Smuin’s piece inspired by the iconic work of the sculptor Rodin, as well as his classic ballet set to Schubert; and a trio of pieces from Smuin performers-turned-choreographers. The show runs through Feb. 24 with two performances on Saturday and a Sunday matinee.

Smuin Ballet: Dance Series 01
Thu, 7:30pm, $58+
Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts

Much like The Nutcracker, Smuin Ballet’s annual production of The Christmas Ballet has become a favorite of the Bay Area Christmas season. Unlike The Nutcracker, however, The Christmas Ballet isn’t constrained by centuries of tradition, animated toy soldiers and dancing rodents. Instead, the local dance company will present a medley of holiday musical favorites, with the company’s talented dancers pirouetting through jazz, ballet, tap and other dance styles. Founded in San Francisco in 1994, Smuin Ballet has grown into one of the premier Bay Area ballet companies, with its contemporary, innovative and awe-inspiring productions.

Christmas Ballet
Wed-Sun, 7:30pm, $58+
Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts

An intimate account of love and loss, The Last Five Years follows a young couple through the significant milestones in their five-year relationship. The musical begins from the perspective of aspiring writer Jamie, on his first date with an up-and-coming actress named Cathy. From there it toggles back and forth between the two, and in time, as Cathy’s narrative kicks off at the end of their journey together. The two vantages meet just once, in the middle, at Jamie and Cathy’s wedding. Inspired by the life of playwright Jason Robert Brown, the show was an off-Broadway hit and was adapted for the screen in 2014. It runs through Aug. 11.

The Last Five Years
Thu, 8pm, $30
Mountain View CPA