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Lincoln Center Theater has announced that Emmy Award and SAG Award nominee Jurnee Smollett (“Lovecraft Country,” “Smoke”) will join the company of The Whoopi Monologues, a reimagining of Whoopi Goldberg’s iconic show, beginning Tuesday, August 4. Smollett will be taking over for Kerry Washington, who will play her last performance on Sunday, August 2.
The Whoopi Monologues began performances on Tuesday, July 7, and officially opened on Monday, July 13 at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater (150 West 65th Street).
Written by Whoopi Goldberg and directed by two-time Tony Award nominee Whitney White, The Whoopi Monologues currently stars Emmy Award Nominee Dominique Fishback (“Swarm,” “The Deuce”), Tony Award winner Kecia Lewis (Hell’s Kitchen), NAACP Image Award Winner Danielle Pinnock (“Ghosts”), Emmy Award-winning producer and Golden Globe-nominated actress Kerry Washington (“Imperfect Women,” American Son), and two-time Tony Award® winner Kara Young (Purlie Victorious, Purpose), with Kai Heath, Denise Manning, and Pavar Snipe rounding out the cast as understudies.
The creative team for The Whoopi Monologues includes Studio Bent: Adam Rigg & Anton Volovsek (Set Design), Tony Award winner Qween Jean (Costume Design), Cha See (Lighting Design), Fan Zhang (Original Music and Sound Design), Hana S. Kim (Video Design), Nikiya Mathis (Hair & Wig Design), and The Telsey Office (Casting). Tiffany N. Robinson serves as the Stage Manager.
In 1984, then unknown monologist Whoopi Goldberg premiered her provocative, thought-provoking one-woman show at Dance Theatre Workshop before it transferred to Broadway later that year, torching the rulebook of traditional solo performance in one of the most electrifying debuts of the era. Now, the trailblazing work returns— reimagined for a new generation led by a remarkable ensemble of 5 women bringing Goldberg’s unforgettable characters back to the stage. Funny, vivid, and deeply human, these nuanced portraits feel as fresh and irresistible today as they were over 40 years ago.
About Jurnee Smollett
Jurnee Smollett is an award-winning actress and activist known for her powerful performances across film and television. Smollett’s previous stage work includes Horton Foote’s The Trip To Bountiful, opposite Cicely Tyson and Vanessa Williams. She recently starred opposite Taron Egerton in the Apple TV+ series “Smoke.” Other film credits include The Order, which premiered to critical acclaim at the 81st Venice Film Festival, The Burial, and We Grown Now. Smollett is also known for HBO’s “Lovecraft Country,” which earned her a Critics Choice Super Award and nominations for an Emmy, Critics Choice, and NAACP Image Award.
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