Erica Kane Returns to the Spotlight! Soap Opera Legend Susan Lucci Brings Her Life Story to Westerly for a Special Evening at the UNITED
At a Glance
What: La Lucci – Susan Lucci in Conversation with Deborah Goodrich Royce, a live discussion celebrating Lucci’s new memoir
When: Saturday, October 24, 2026, at 7 p.m.
Doors Open: 6 p.m.
Location: UNITED Black Box Auditorium, 5 Canal Street, Westerly, RI 02891
Featured Guest: Susan Lucci, Emmy Award-winning actress and longtime star of All My Children
In Conversation With: Deborah Goodrich Royce, bestselling novelist and former All My Children cast member
Presented By: The UNITED and Martin House Books
Admission: $20 general admission without a book; $52 general admission including a copy of La Lucci
Photo Opportunity: $25 additional for a photograph with Susan Lucci after the event; limited to 150 participants
Photo Details: Photographs taken by UNITED staff using the ticket buyer’s cellphone
Books: Additional copies of La Lucci and selected books by Deborah Goodrich Royce available for purchase
Book Personalization: Susan Lucci will not personalize books at the event
Seating: Fully seated event in the Black Box Auditorium
Ticket Policy: Tickets are nonrefundable and nonexchangeable
Contact: (401) 388-8208; info@unitedtheatre.org
Tickets: Advance purchase through the UNITED website
Event Description
La Lucci – Susan Lucci in Conversation with Deborah Goodrich Royce brings one of television’s most recognizable stars to the UNITED in Westerly on Saturday, October 24, for an evening of memories, behind-the-scenes stories, and reflections on a remarkable entertainment career.
For more than four decades, Susan Lucci was Erica Kane, the glamorous, ambitious, and frequently outrageous heroine of ABC’s All My Children. Now, the Emmy Award-winning actress is stepping into the spotlight as herself, discussing her new memoir, La Lucci, with bestselling author Deborah Goodrich Royce.
And there’s a particularly delightful connection between the two women: Royce once played Erica Kane’s sister, Silver Kane, on the beloved daytime drama.
Presented by the UNITED and Martin House Books, the conversation promises a rare opportunity for fans to hear directly from a woman whose career became part of American television history.
The Woman Who Made Erica Kane a Television Legend
Few characters in daytime television have achieved the cultural recognition of Erica Kane.
When All My Children premiered in 1970, Susan Lucci began portraying a young woman whose determination, romantic adventures, rivalries, and spectacular personal dramas would eventually make her one of television’s most enduring personalities.
Erica could be manipulative, vulnerable, selfish, funny, and fiercely determined—sometimes all in the same episode.
Audiences loved her, argued about her, and kept watching.
Lucci’s portrayal made her synonymous with the golden age of daytime drama and earned her a place among television’s most celebrated performers.
Her long pursuit of a Daytime Emmy became a story of its own. After 19 nominations, she finally won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 1999, receiving one of the most memorable standing ovations in awards-show history.
The moment became a defining television milestone.
In 2023, Lucci received the Daytime Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing her extraordinary contribution to the medium.
Beyond Pine Valley: A Remarkable Career
Although Erica Kane remains her signature role, Lucci’s career has extended well beyond the fictional town of Pine Valley.
She made her Broadway debut as Annie Oakley in Annie Get Your Gun, performed in concert venues including Carnegie Hall, and appeared alongside Regis Philbin on tour.
Television audiences also know her from the Lifetime series Devious Maids, in which she played the wealthy and flamboyant Genevieve Delatour.
Her additional credits include the film Joy and the Investigation Discovery series Deadly Affairs, which she hosted and narrated.
Lucci has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and numerous entertainment industry honors.
She has also become a prominent advocate for women’s cardiovascular health, serving as a national spokesperson for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women movement.
Her memoir offers another opportunity to explore the experiences behind a career that has spanned generations of television viewers.
Two All My Children Stars Reunite in Westerly
The evening’s interviewer brings her own intriguing connection to Lucci’s television history.
Deborah Goodrich Royce appeared on All My Children in the late 1980s as Silver Kane, Erica’s sister.
After working as an actress, Royce moved into film development, serving as a story editor at Miramax Films before establishing herself as a bestselling suspense novelist.
Her books include Finding Mrs. Ford, Ruby Falls, Reef Road, and Best Boy.
Royce is also a familiar presence in the Westerly and Watch Hill arts communities.
She founded the Ocean House Author Series in partnership with Martin House Books and WCRI, bringing nationally recognized writers to the region.
Alongside her husband, Chuck Royce, she has been involved in the restoration and revitalization of several important cultural properties, including the UNITED Theatre itself.
Her combination of literary experience, television history, and personal connection to Lucci makes this more than a conventional celebrity interview.
For longtime All My Children fans, the reunion of Erica and Silver Kane adds a special layer of nostalgia to the evening.
A Chance to Meet Susan Lucci
Attendees can choose between two admission options.
A $20 ticket includes entry to the conversation, while the $52 package includes admission and a copy of Lucci’s new memoir.
Additional copies of La Lucci, along with selected titles by Deborah Goodrich Royce, will be available for purchase.
For fans hoping to take home an especially memorable souvenir, a limited photo opportunity with Susan Lucci is available for an additional $25.
UNITED staff will take the photograph using each participant’s cellphone, and the opportunity is limited to 150 people.
Organizers note that Lucci will not be personalizing books at the event.
An Evening for Soap Fans, Book Lovers, and Television History Buffs
The conversation begins at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 6 p.m.
The UNITED’s Black Box Auditorium provides a smaller, fully seated setting for an evening centered on storytelling rather than a traditional stage performance.
For viewers who spent years following Erica Kane’s romances, marriages, feuds, and dramatic reversals of fortune, the appearance offers a chance to revisit an unforgettable chapter of television history.
For others, it is an opportunity to hear a celebrated actress discuss the experiences, challenges, and achievements that have shaped her life.
And for anyone who remembers that famous Emmy victory, seeing Susan Lucci in person may be a particularly satisfying way to celebrate a true television original.
To purchase tickets, click the Event Ticketing link below.
Featured image is an artistic representation inspired by the event and may not depict the actual people, location, or activities shown.