The Whoopi Monologues

The Whoopi Monologues'' (also known asWhoopi Goldberg'') is a comedic one-woman play by American comedian Whoopi Goldberg which features comic monologues penned by Goldberg that tell the story of various characters. The play premiered on Broadway in 1984 at the Lyceum Theatre starring Goldberg herself, and is set to be revived in the fall of 2026 Off-Broadway at Lincoln Center Theatre.

Plot

Featuring comic stories written by Goldberg, the play follows the course of various eccentric characters, from a young girl to an elderly man to a valley girl.

Production history

1984 Broadway premiere

The play first premiered on Broadway in 1984 at the Lyceum Theatre, starring Whoopi Goldberg. The production opened on October 24, 1984, running through March 10, 1985 after 156 performances. The production received mixed to positive reviews, with much to Goldberg for reinventing the idea of a solo performance. The New York Times praised Goldberg's "droll and most touching characters" and lauding her performance as the many characters as "quite simply, lovable."

The production was nominated for two Drama Desk Awards, with Goldberg winning the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance, and the Outer Critics Circle Award and Theatre World Award for Outstanding Debut. Goldberg subsequently released a comedy album of the production which won the 1986 Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album.

2004 Broadway revival

The play was revived for its 20th anniversary in a production starring Goldberg at the Lyceum Theatre, where it ran from November 17, 2004 through January 30, 2005. The show received mixed to positive reviews, with The New York Times admitting the "brilliance of (Goldberg's) gifts" but deriding the production as "in desperate need of a stringent theatrical intelligence." Nonetheless, the production was nominated for the 2005 Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event.

2026 Off-Broadway revival

The play is set to be revived Off-Broadway in 2026 at Lincoln Center Theatre's Mitzi E. Newhouse Theatre, with previews beginning on July 7, 2026 and running through August 30 of the same year. Directed by Whitney White, the production is set to star an ensemble cast of Kerry Washington, Kara Young, Danielle Pinnock, Dominique Fishback, and Kecia Lewis. In July, it was announced that Jurnee Smollett was to join the production in August in Washington's role following the latter's departure.

The production received mixed reviews, with New York Theatre Guide noted the production's promise, but called it "a hit-and-miss experiment for a number of reasons" and The Wrap comparing it unfavorably to Goldberg's solo version, calling it "quite a show, but not quite as impressive."

Cast and characters

Accolades

1984 Broadway production

2004 Broadway revival