Whoopi Goldberg’s One-Woman Show Returns as “The Whoopi Monologues”

Broadway’s Lincoln Center Theater is staging a new version of Whoopi Goldberg’s 1984 one-woman show, retitled “The Whoopi Monologues.” The production, directed by Whitney White, features Kerry Washington (also a producer) alongside Kara Young, Dominique Fishback, Kecia Lewis and Danielle Pinnock. White adapted the script from the original Broadway run at the Lyceum Theater, the 2005 HBO special “Whoopi: Back to Broadway — the 20th Anniversary,” and other archived versions. Washington is headlining the revival, which marks the first major re-presentation of Goldberg’s early material in more than four decades.

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Goldberg’s self-titled show debuted on Broadway in October 1984 after director Mike Nichols saw an Off-Broadway version titled “The Spook Show” at the Dance Theater Workshop in 1983. Nichols described Goldberg’s performance as unprecedented, noting she combined the styles of Elaine May, Groucho Marx, Ruth Draper, Richard Pryor, and “five parts never before seen.” The production was filmed for HBO as “Whoopi Goldberg: Direct From Broadway,” preserving the original monologues for television audiences.

New York Times

Whitney White, known for the film “Liberation,” serves as director and script adapter. In addition to Washington, the ensemble includes Kara Young, Dominique Fishback, Kecia Lewis and Danielle Pinnock, each taking on multiple characters originally created by Goldberg. The revival aims to introduce Goldberg’s “boisterous characters” to a new generation while honoring the show’s historical significance.

New York Times

Washington told reporters that watching the 1985 HBO special as a child “really changed my idea of what acting was,” adding that she perceived Goldberg’s performance as “a magic trick” in both embodiment and audience impact. Nichols, speaking to The New York Times in 1984, said he had “never seen anyone like her,” underscoring the originality that motivated his push to bring the show to Broadway.

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• “It really changed my idea of what acting was,” — Kerry Washington, Actress

New York Times

• “As a young child, I understood that she was doing a magic trick, and not just in what she was able to embody and express, but in how she moved her audiences.” — Kerry Washington, Actress

New York Times

• “I’ve never seen anyone like her,” — Mike Nichols, Director (1994 interview)

New York Times

• “one part Elaine May, one part Groucho, one part Ruth Draper, one part Richard Pryor and five parts never before seen,” — Mike Nichols, Director (1994 interview)

New York Times