Celebrate the holidays Scinta style at Suncoast

The Scintas will blend traditional holiday carols with their own style of music and comedy when they return to the Suncoast showroom this weekend in "A Scinta Christmas."

The brother-sister trio -- along with "Irish Scinta" Peter O'Donnell -- have been a Vegas mainstay during the past 10 years, headlining at the Rio, Sahara and the Las Vegas Hilton. They've since taken their musical/comedy variety show on the road, performing across the country to sold-out crowds, especially in Detroit, says frontman Frank Scinta.

Their show has always incorporated some holiday music, Scinta says, but they decided a themed show would fill a holiday entertainment void in town. Fans can expect their favorite Scinta characters along with the traditional Christmas and Hanukkah songs, he says. That means "appearances" by Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Johnny Mathis, Frank Sinatra and others.

"We celebrate Christmas," Scinta says. "A lot of people do. It's almost like it's been washed out and everyone avoids it. We wanted to celebrate it."

And fans who aren't getting their Scinta fix should take heart in knowing that the band has a few projects in the works, including a potential reality show featuring the family and playing up their Italian heritage.

The band plays Las Vegas about four times a year, but they would like to return to a more permanent status.

"We're waiting for the right time and the right moment, but you may see us back on the Strip," Scinta says. "The timing has to be perfect, though. Things are a little different now."

Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@review journal.com or 702-380-4564.