Kerry Washington & More Explain What THE WHOOPI MONOLOGUES Is All About

Coming up next at Lincoln Center Theater is The Whoopi Monologues, a reimagining of Whoopi Goldberg’s iconic show, which begins performances on Tuesday, July 7. Written by Whoopi Goldberg and directed by two-time Tony Award nominee Whitney White, The Whoopi Monologues will star Emmy Award Nominee Dominique Fishback, Tony Award winner Kecia Lewis, NAACP Image Award Winner Danielle Pinnock, Emmy Award-winning producer and Golden Globe-nominated actress Kerry Washington, and two-time Tony Award winner Kara Young with Kai Heath, Denise Manning, and Pavar Snipe rounding out the cast as understudies.

“Kerry Washington had this brilliant idea… There are so many black women working on this production and my heart is full,” explained White during a break from rehearsals. “And to every black woman out there who has been displaced from her job, you have a place, and you belong. And that’s how Whoopi makes us feel. And that’s why I’m doing this play.”

In 1984, then unknown monologist Whoopi Goldberg premiered her provocative, thought-provoking one-woman show on Broadway, 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.

“I never got the privilege of seeing the show at the Lyceum, but I saw it when it was on HBO. As a kid, my parents let me watch it, and it changed my life to see this black woman become all of these different characters in these different places from different socioeconomic backgrounds,” added Washington. “There was nothing she couldn’t do, and it made me feel like I could do anything as an artist, as an actor.”