Lucie Arnaz

See David Yazbek and More Perform at 54 Below Next Week
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Nov 7, 2025

Next week, 54 BELOW will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond, including David Yazbek, Mary Porter, Maggie Solimine and more.

Jason Alexander, Christine Ebersole, And Michael Urie To Lead New Script-in-Hand Series At Palm Springs’ Plaza Theatre
by A.A. Cristi - Oct 28, 2025

Palm Springs’ Plaza Theatre will debut rePLAY, a new benefit series featuring all-star casts in comedies directed by Susan Stroman, Philip Wm. McKinley, and David Zippel. Find out how to get tickets and all the details.

Feature: THE WAITING PERIOD at The Marsh Berkeley Reaches Its 500th Performance
by Jim Munson - Sep 12, 2025

BroadwayWorld talks to Brian Copeland about 'The Waiting Period,' his searingly honest and surprisingly humorous life-saving solo show which will have its 500th performance September 20th at The Marsh Berkeley, coincidingBrian Copeland could easily point to any number of impressive achievements from his multi-faceted career. As a standup comic, he’s opened for icons like Aretha Franklin and Smokey Robinson. His seminal theater piece Not a Genuine Black Man still reigns as the longest-running solo show in San Francisco theater history. For 5 years, he co-hosted KTVUs Mornings on 2, and for 27 years hosted his own radio program on KGO. Related to the latter, he will be inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame next month, something of which he is particularly proud. But – if you ask him “What is the most worthwhile thing you’ve ever done?” he answers without hesitation, “The Waiting Period,” because it has actually saved people’s lives. I spoke with him recently to learn more about this uniquely impactful solo theater piece, which will mark its 500th performance on September 20th at The Marsh Berkeley. As has become standard practice for The Waiting Period, tickets are free of charge. Based on his personal experience, the piece is an exploration of depression and suicidal ideation, its title referring to the state-mandated 10 ten days that must elapse between purchasing a gun and taking possession of it. For Copeland, those ten days were literally a lifesaver, and so he felt compelled to share his story. Although he’d long struggled with depression, back in 2008 he was faced with an unimaginable chain of events that was more than he could handle. Within a short time, the grandmother who’d raised him died of a stroke, his wife announced out of the blue that she wanted a divorce, and he got into a horrific accident that totaled his car and necessitated spinal cord surgery, putting on his couch in a neck brace for three months, popping Vicodin. Thoughts of suicide became inescapable so he purchased a TomCat, planning to use it to end his life. Against all odds, he managed to “white-knuckle it” through the waiting period while the most acute aspects of his depression lifted just enough to stop him from killing himself. But, as Copeland says, “The thing about depression is it’s never cured – it’s better, it’s worse, it’s manageable, there are times when it’s absent - but it’s always a hair trigger away from something, from some catastrophe or some chemical imbalance.” Once the fog had lifted at least temporarily, he seriously started rethinking his experience as someone who believes in finding reasons for things. During that period, a young man within Copeland’s circle committed suicide at the age of fifteen and Robin Williams killed himself as well, although the complicating factor of Lewy Body Dementia had not been made public at that time. Copeland took those incidents like a blow to the solar plexus and began to explore what he could personally do to help prevent such tragedies. He was encouraged to bring his own struggles to light by his publicist, who happened to have represented film icon Rock Hudson in 1985 when the actor announced to the world that he had AIDS, thereby removing some of the stigma from that disease. The publicist suggested to Copeland that by going public with his story maybe he could do the same thing for depression and suicidal ideation. Copeland had received his mission. Collaborating with the Bay Area’s guru of solo performance, David Ford, Copeland set out to “create a show about depression that wasn’t depressing,” making sure to include enough reality-based humor to draw audiences in and counterbalance the heaviness of the topic. As he puts it, “the comedy makes the drama much more impactful, and the drama makes the comedy funnier because it’s a release.” The Waiting Period opened at The Marsh in 2012 and became an instant sensation, winning awards and getting extended multiple times. After a year or so, Copeland realized he couldn’t keep performing the show on a regular basis because it required him relive some very dark and harrowing episodes. But he felt he could continue to do the show on an occasional basis, maybe twice a month or so, without seriously endangering his own mental health. He also talked to Stephanie Weisman, artistic director of The Marsh, about making the show free of charge to audiences so that cost wouldn’t be a barrier to attending. Weisman readily agreed to having a GoFundMe campaign was set up to cover basic production costs like theater staffing. Copeland and his publicist then placed calls to various industry contacts and were stunned by the outpouring of support from celebrities like Glenn Close, Ed Asner and Lucie Arnaz, whose lives had been personally touched by depression and suicide. Fast forward to 2025, and Copeland is now embarking on the 500th performance of The Waiting Period on September 20th, timed to coincide with Suicide Prevention Month. Copeland remains committed to continuing to do the show because he knows the profound impact it’s had on the lives of so many people, from the letters he’s received and follow-up conversations he’s had. Just one example: a woman planned to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge one Sunday morning and stopped off at her favorite café enroute to savor one last coffee and pastry before ending her life. She noticed the San Francisco Chronicle “pink” section lying on her table and thumbed through it while finishing her coffee. It happened to contain a brief article about The Waiting Period that noted a performance would be happening that very afternoon. She was intrigued enough to alter her plan - slightly. She decided to flip a coin and if it came up heads, she would proceed straight to the bridge; if it came up tails, she would go see Copeland’s show first. It came up tails, and so she went to see The Waiting Period, the core message of which is “If you’re thinking of doing some kind of harm to yourself, tell someone first.” When the play was over, she remained in her seat crying for another twenty minutes, then called her sister to tell her what she was thinking of doing, and her sister got her help. Or there’s the story of a woman who struggled with depression and her husband always wondered why she couldn’t just lighten up and smell the roses. She basically dragged him to The Waiting Period, and afterwards he said to her, “That’s what you’ve been going through? I had no idea.” And that’s the thing with depression: it is so misunderstood. It’s not something that can be cured by thinking happy thoughts. As Copeland says, “You know, we’re dealing with a disease, and yet people are ashamed of it. There’s such shame and stigma attached to it, and I want people to know they have nothing to be ashamed of, any more than if you had Lou Gehrig’s Disease or muscular dystrophy or cancer. You wouldn’t be ashamed of those afflictions. And the world, society, would be a lot more sympathetic.” As a comedian and talk show host, i.e. someone who earns his living projecting amiability and cheerfulness, Copeland makes a perfect communicator for that message. If someone as seemingly light-hearted as him can suffer from depression, then it can truly happen to anyone. When he started debuted The Waiting Period in 2012, some people were quite surprised to learn that he’d ever wanted to kill himself. And yet, what sticks with him most over the years is the number of people who’ve approached him after a performance and whispered in his ear that they, too, are “one of us,” as Copeland refers to those who experience acute depression. Some of them are people Copeland knows well and are in the public eye, people he says you would never guess struggled with the disease. Toward the conclusion of our conversation, Copeland tells me, “If there’s nothing else at all worthwhile I’ve done while I was here, at least there are a couple of people walking around who might not be here.” I tell him that’s a statement most of us can’t make, myself included, and he responds, “You don’t know that. That’s the thing. I’m fortunate enough that I’m in a position where people are able to reach out and tell me. But you don’t know who you told to have a nice day to, who were planning on doing something and ended up not because of your kindness, you know, in tipping the barista and saying they did a good job one day when they thought they were worthless and were going to do something right after they got off work. There are stories like that, and those stories are real.” (Header photo of Brian Copeland by Joan Marcus) --- The Waiting Period will play its 500th performance 5:00pm, Saturday, September 20 at The Marsh Berkeley, 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. Additional dates are soon to be announced. Thanks to the support of generous donors, general admission tickets are FREE. Supporters may donate $50/$100 for reserved seats, funds which make it possible for others to see the show at no cost. To order free tickets or reserve seats, please visit themarsh.org. with National Suicide Prevention Month.

Review: GRACE AND GLORIE at Black Theatre Troupe
by Herbert Paine - Sep 9, 2025

The emotional terrain is fertile, but in Black Theatre Troupe’s 56th-season opener, GRACE AND GLORIE, the production comes close but not quite far enough to capture the fullness and weight that popularized the work.

GRACE AND GLORIE to Open Black Theatre Troupe Season in September
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Aug 11, 2025

Black Theatre Troupe will open its 2025–2026 season with GRACE & GLORIE a warm and incisive two-character play by Tom Ziegler, directed by Chanel Bragg. Learn more and see how to purchase tickets.

FOR DUSTY SPRINGFIELD... THE WINDMILLS OF MY MIND at Feinstein's at the Nikko
by Emmy Rice - Jul 6, 2025

Feinstein's at the Nikko, San Francisco's premiere nightclub, will present Lianne Marie Dobbs in For Dusty... The Windmills of My Mind, one night only with music director Ron Abel and local band members Brian Sheu, Daniel Fabricant, and David Rokeach.

55 Participating Regional Awards Programs Announced For The 16th Annual Jimmy Awards
by A.A. Cristi - Feb 19, 2025

The Broadway League Foundation has announced 55 participating Regional Awards Programs for the 16th annual Jimmy Awards which will take place on Monday, June 23, 2025 at 7:30pm at Broadway's Minskoff Theatre.

Chris Isaacson Brings BROADWAY COMES TO HOLLYWOOD to the Catalina Jazz Club
by Stephi Wild - Feb 14, 2025

Chris Isaacson Presents will bring Broadway Comes to Hollywood to Catalina Jazz Club. The lineup begins with Tony Award-winners John Cameron Mitchell, Lillias White, and more.

A Pair to Remember - A Celebration for Phil Ford and Mimi Hines at Palm Springs' Revolution Stage Company
by Team BWW - Jan 20, 2025

In the evening, a show of sorts will be presented on the stage of Revolution Stage Company with selected speakers hosted by desert resident Lucie Arnaz and will feature some unique and never-before-seen footage of the famous duo Ford & Hines. Tickets are still available and can be purchased here.

Photos: Best of 2024 Cabaret in Photos
by Rebecca Kaplan - Dec 27, 2024

Here are some of BWW's favorite shows and shots from this year. Photographer Conor Weiss shared photos from some of his favorite shows from the year including Carolyn Montgomery, Andre de Shields, and more.

Bell Theater at Bell Works Reveals 2025 Shows
by Stephi Wild - Dec 20, 2024

Bell Theater, located in the Bell Works complex in Holmdel, NJ, has a slate of concerts and stage productions lined up for the 2025 season. Learn more about the full lineup here!

Faith Prince, Joe Iconis, And More Headline 92NY's Professional Cabaret Classes
by A.A. Cristi - Dec 11, 2024

The 92nd Street Y has announced an expanded focus on professional courses for those interested in the art of Cabaret and concert performance.

Review: LUCIE ARNAZ: I GOT THE JOB!- SONGS FROM MY MUSICAL PAST at Feinstein's At The Nikko
by Steve Murray - Oct 31, 2024

A sold out two-night engagement at Feinstein’s at the Nikko was a testament to the enduring draw power of veteran actor/director/song stylist Lucie Arnaz. Those in attendance were treated to a reprise of her well-crafted, autobiographical concert performed and recorded live at the Purple Room in Palm Springs last year.

Review: BEN JONES - TEMPTATION at Feinstein's At The Nikko
by Steve Murray - Oct 21, 2024

Ben Jones, award-winning singer, comedian, storyteller, and actor returned to the intimate Feinstein’s at the Nikko for an extremely successful two-run engagement displaying his considerable talents. If you haven’t seen Ben Jones, make it a must. He has that unique skill that makes a great entertainer – he’s so engaging and interesting that you can’t wait for the next moment. This show, titled ‘Temptation’, exhibits that proficiency brilliantly.

Cultural Ambassador Ronald Rand to Bring Harold Clurman In LET IT BE ART! To Athens
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Oct 3, 2024

Ronald Rand will perform his acclaimed solo play LET IT BE ART! as Harold Clurman in Athens during the Global Arts Education Summit, marking nearly 25 years of world tours. Learn more and see how to purchase tickets.

Video: Chita Rivera Remembers Iconic Disco in STUDIO ONE FOREVER Clip
by Josh Sharpe - Oct 1, 2024

BroadwayWorld is excited to share an exclusive clip from Studio One Forever, Marc Saltarelli’s award-winning documentary about the iconic gay disco in West Hollywood. Watch the clip now!

Chita Rivera's Final Screen Appearance to Stream in October
by Josh Sharpe - Sep 26, 2024

“Studio One Forever,” Marc Saltarelli’s award-winning documentary about the iconic gay disco in West Hollywood, including the Backlot cabaret room, will start streaming on all platforms beginning Tuesday, Oct. 8, same day as the Blu-ray release.

Lucie Arnaz To Perform At Kean Stage For 2024-2025 Season Opening
by A.A. Cristi - Sep 17, 2024

Kean Stage has announced that Lucie Arnaz will open Kean Stage's 2024-2025 season on Sunday, September 29 at 7:00 p.m. at Enlow Recital Hall.

Carbonell Awards Reveal Four New Judges For 2024-2025 Theatre Season
by Stephi Wild - Sep 4, 2024

The Carbonell Awards have announced four new judges. They will bring the total number of Carbonell judges to 46, including 18 in Broward County, 11 in Miami-Dade, and 17 in Palm Beach County.

Video: Exclusive Look at Trailer for THE ARRIVAL, Starring Peter Bradbury and Pooya Mohseni
by Blair Ingenthron - Aug 31, 2024

Peter Bradbury and Pooya Mohseni star in the new film THE ARRIVAL. Watch the exclusive trailer and learn more about the digital release here!