A new and unique Christmas event will hit the Celebrity Showroom stage at John Ascuaga’s Nugget in December. Rehearsals are underway for the musical “A Classic Christmas Celebration” showcasing top local talent.

“It’s a family show for ages 3 to 103,” show producer Karen Burns said. Burns is a local resident and owner of Karen Burns Productions,

Burns’ affection for classic holiday shows inspired the enormous labor of love — a memorable, professional-quality stage production with all local performers. The show has attracted both seasoned professionals and young talent, from dancers and singers to choreographers.

“It’s such a large project, I’ll use between two to six choreographers,” Burns said.

During a recent rehearsal at Reno dance studio Creative Rhythm, choreographer Mig O’Hara’s creative discipline seemed to energize young performers.

“She’s so excited,” Danila MacDonald said while watching the rehearsal and her daughter, Jaidyn, 7. “It’s her first time (on stage) but they’re treating her like family and she’s loving it.”

“We’re hoping to bring other foster families (to the show),” Ronda Chambers, Jaidyn’s grandmother, said. “It’s nice to have a family Christmas show with local talent.”

Other performers include former Miss Nevada Tiffany Story as lead vocalist and professional, lead dancer Marty Lewis. Lewis performed for years in the former MGM Hotel’s stage extravaganza “Hello Hollywood Hello.” Young dance talent includes Laura Dale, 23, Haleigh Hoff, 18, Lauren Huffmire, 12, David Huffmire, 11, Morgan Ross, 12, and Kieran Ross, 6.

The show will feature elaborate costumes adapted from Burns’ collection. She said her costumes and accessories (shoes, hats, jewelry, etc.) reflect the heyday of musical theater — shows like “Gigi,” “Singing in the Rain,” “The Wizard of Oz” and the “Radio City Rockettes.”

“Costumes were a huge, huge part of these shows,” Burns explained.

Producing a show for the Nugget is like going home for Burns. As a young woman, she worked the floor during shows in the Celebrity Showroom. Then she landed a dance role in “Hello Hollywood Hello” at the MGM, which is now the Grand Sierra. When the show closed years later, Burns purchased and preserved many of the costumes.

Performances of “A Classic Christmas Celebration” will run Dec. 10-14 and 17-21.

“Anything we can do to get involved with the community, we’re all for it,” said Michael Traum, spokesman for John Ascuaga’s Nugget. “We’ve been involved for over 50 years and we enjoy it.”

“We all could use a little Christmas now,” Burns said, referring to the economy. “People need something to celebrate.”