A new play called “Ham for the Holidays” opened Friday (Dec. 4) in the Studio Theater at Santa Rosa’s 6th St. Playhouse, and it’s got the potential to become a new local holiday perennial favorite, a la the likes of “The Santaland Diaries” or “A Tuna Christmas.”

A full review will be posted soon, but first, a bit of insider news:

It’s not surprising that the playwright, director and co-star of the show, Shad Willingham, knows how to be funny onstage. He established himself as the class clown of local theater back in the early ’80s, when he was still a teen-ager.

Nor is it a surprise that seasoned pros like Dodds Delzell and Norman Hall give consistently comic performances.

No, the surprise here is the woman lead in the show, Christmas Collins, who logged considerable stage experience in Los Angeles, but has not been seen here before, at least not in live local theater.

Denizens of downtown Santa Rosa may remember her recent stint as a popular bartender at the Russian River Brewing Company.

In “Ham for the Holidays,”  Collins plays Violet, a former big-city method actress who still insists on costume changes, even she’s performing in a smalltown 1930s radio play. That leads to some very funny quick-change bits. Also, the fictional radio station’s radiator is on the fritz, and the studio is soon sweltering, so most of the cast ends up partially disrobing. Tasteful Depression-era undergarments prevent undue embarrassment.

If that suggests this is not a heavy drama, let’s clear that up right now. The station staff is performing in an impromptu play titled “Attack of the Christmas Robots from Outer Space.”

She plays the Hollywood archetype of the tough woman of the world skillfully, scoring direct hits with wisecracks throughout the show.

And in case you’re wondering about Collins’ first name, the program for “Ham for the Holidays” spells it out:  “Yes, Christmas is her real name. No, she was not born on Christmas.”

The cast, shown in the photo above, includes: From left, Jimmy Gagarin, Kendall Carroll, Shad Willingham, Dodds Delzell, Christmas Collins, Samson Hood and, seated in the foreground at lower right, Norman Hall.

“Ham for the Holidays” plays at  8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays, through Dec. 20 in the Studio Theater at 6th Street Playhouse, 52 W. Sixth St., Santa Rosa. $17-$22. 523-4185, 6thstreetplayhouse.com.