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Lincoln Center Recasts Whoopi Goldberg’s Monologues as a Five-Actor Show

The revival tests whether Goldberg’s writing can carry a piece without her single, transformative performance.

Overview

  • Lincoln Center Theater opened The Whoopi Monologues at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater on July 13, 2026, and the production will run through August 30.
  • Director Whitney White divides Goldberg’s original solo material among five performers — Kerry Washington, Kara Young, Kecia Lewis, Dominique Fishback, and Danielle Pinnock — rather than staging it as a one-woman show.
  • Critics widely praise the cast and the more elaborate staging, but reviews split on whether distributing the monologues weakens the evening or exposes thinness in some sketches.
  • The new production adds a scenic concept of five dressing-room doors, video projections, musical and dance interludes, and omits the original 'Handicapped Lady' character to reflect contemporary sensibilities.
  • Kerry Washington will leave the run on August 2 and Jurnee Smollett is set to join the company on August 4, a casting change that keeps the show in the public eye and may affect ticket demand for the rest of the run.