I'M NOT A COMEDIAN… I'M LENNY BRUCE to Hold Memorial Benefit for Kitty Bruce
Ronnie Marmo stars in the Joe Mantegna-directed show at Theatre 68 Arts Complex in North Hollywood.
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Actor Ronnie Marmo will honor the memory of Kitty Bruce (daughter of the late Lenny Bruce) who passed away on May 13, 2026. The special performance of his one man play directed by Joe Mantegna,“I'M NOT A COMEDIAN… I'M Lenny Bruce” will be held on Saturday, July 25, 2026 following the public memorial service for Kitty Bruce at the Hollywood Improv earlier that day.
The play starts at 8:00pm at Theatre 68 Arts Complex located at 5112 Lankershim Blvd in North Hollywood.
The performance event will bring celebrities and friends of Kitty Bruce into Los Angeles for her memorial service held earlier on the day. Interviews and photo opportunities will be held at the theater pre-show red carpet for arrivals. In addition to star Ronnie Marmo and director Joe Mantegna many comedians and friends of Kitty Bruce are expected at the performance. Press must rsvp to Roz Wolf at this email: RozWolf.CreativePR@gmail.com.
This performance event will help support the charity that Kitty Bruce started in 2008 to continue the mission for the Lenny Bruce Memorial Foundation. The foundation helps people in recovery programs for drug and alcohol abuse stay in recovery with scholarships when insurance coverage runs out. Coincidentally, the 60th anniversary of Lenny Bruce's passing will come up on August 3rd this year and the performance about the life of Lenny Bruce will make that a special day of remembrance for both Kitty Bruce and her father Lenny Bruce.
Ronnie Marmo has performed this 80 minute play as Lenny Bruce for more than 485 performances across the US and Canada for the National Tour after opening the play in Los Angeles in 2017. He says, “Kitty Bruce was more than the guardian of her father, Lenny Bruce's, legacy. She was a force of love, courage, truth, and compassion in her own right. She believed deeply in preserving her father's voice and message for future generations. Giving the play her blessing, she called it “The best portrayal of my father I have ever seen.”
Ronnie Marmo will forever be grateful for Kitty Bruce. “Losing Kitty is heartbreaking,… her love, friendship, and belief in me for giving her blessing to write her father's story and portray him on stage for audiences around the world in I'm Not a Comedian… I'm Lenny Bruce is one of the greatest honors of my life. I'm happy to carry on Lenny's legacy alongside her and I will continue to do so with pride in both her name and her father's. Onward we go with fond memories of her spirit, her laughter, and her devotion to justice and humanity. I will keep giving this play my all.”
Ronnie Marmo believes that Lenny Bruce's voice is what this country needs right now. He says, “In the 1960s, Lenny Bruce exposed many of the 'untouchable' subjects that are in the news once more in the year 2026: religion, racism, immigration, xenophobia, gender inequality, sexual identity, the criminal justice system, capital punishment, bail reform, government aid, police brutality, corrupt capitalism, the opiate epidemic, marijuana legalization, censorship, and on and on. So here we are, all the issues Lenny was fighting make the play relevant still.”
About the Play
I'M NOT A COMEDIAN… I'M Lenny Bruce chronicles the life and death of the most controversial comedian and undisputed legend of all time…Lenny Bruce. His personal pain, sharply funny social commentary and completely original, freestyle comedy left a lasting impact on today's poetry, politics, music, film - and of course - comedy. His unwavering commitment to, and passion for, free speech led to numerous obscenity charges and arrests. Bruce fought for freedom of speech all the way to the Supreme Court, and died of an accidental overdose in 1966 while out on appeal. Lauded by fans and former friends of Bruce, Marmo's crowd-shocking portrayal brings the notorious funnyman to life with all the electrifying, insightful and comedic brilliance as the one and only Lenny Bruce himself.
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