Like many who go to the Big Apple to try to make it big in show business, Darcie Roberts got her break in New York.

Tonight, Roberts plays a similar role as Lola Lamar, the leading lady in Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana,” who heads to New York to break into the business.

The play is inspired by Manilow’s Grammy award-winning song “Copacabana.”

“Copacabana” is the story of a small-town girl from Tulsa, Okla. Lola is a showgirl who dreams of becoming a star but is whisked to Havana, Cuba, by Rico (Philip Hernandez), a villainous nightclub owner.

Attempting to rescue her from Rico, Lola’s love interest, Tony Starr (Franc D’Ambrosio), follows the duo to Havana, where jealousy and murder enter the story.

“Copacabana” gives an account of what life is like for someone going to New York to try for stardom, Roberts said.

“I went to New York, like Lola, when I was young, and I got my first acting role as an understudy in six months. I was lucky,” she said.

It’s uncommon for actors to make it big in a short period of time, no matter how much talent someone has because they need training, said Dixie Durr, Department of Theatre chairperson.

Roberts, who got her start in a small town in California, began her career in her grandmother’s dance studio.

“I’ve been dancing forever, but I started taking lessons when I was four,” she said.

Roberts knew at a young age that theater was her calling. She has always enjoyed singing, dancing and acting. She began taking voice lessons at 12. Roberts was home schooled by her mother and grandmother, both professional performing artists.

D’Ambrosio, the love-struck bartender, holds the record as the world’s longest performing Phantom in the “Phantom of the Opera.” He performed from 1992 to 1999 on Broadway and on the national tour.

The show is a collaboration between Manilow, who wrote the music and sang the hit, and lyricists Bruce Sussman and Jack Feldman.

“Copacabana” begins at 7:30 tonight and runs through Sunday in the Wharton Center’s Great Hall.