‘The Whoopi Monologues’ brings overlooked women back to center stage
(10 Jul 2026)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
New York — 25 June 2026
1. “The Whoopi Monologues” signage
2. Pan of press event
3. Various of Whitney White and Kerry Washington talking to reporter
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Whitney White, director, and Kerry Washington, actor:
Washington: “I’m doing the Surfer Chick. I love her so much it makes me giggle even just to say it. Yeah, but it’s really been fun to reexamine how brilliant this writing is. You know, the women are all so very different but their stories are very intertwined. They’re interconnected. They’re women – every single one of these five characters are women that we were pushed to the margins. They wouldn’t normally sit at the center of the story of their, of our lives. And so we get to put them in the center of the stage and to say how much they matter.”
5. Kara Young and Danielle Pinnock talking to reporter
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Kara Young and Danielle Pinnock, actors:
Pinnock: I’m playing the Jamaican Lady, which is so close to my heart. I’m a first generation Jamaican American, very proud. And it really is putting a human face to immigrant stories, and I think right now, especially in this climate, we need that. It’s her story of courage being a fish out of water, coming to the States for the first time on a new adventure and being brave. And I see my mother in that, I see my aunts, I see my whole family. And so I want to be able to do them justice. And so I can’t wait for people to see it. It’s going to be good.”
7. Kara Young and Danielle Pinnock talking to reporter
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Kara Young and Danielle Pinnock, actors:
Young: “I’m Fontaine and this is a character of a person who is a junkie and is very wise and has very intricate histories inside of them, like all of us. But my goal is to tap into the humanity of the people that I grew up in New York City with, and the people who have, you know, maybe fallen off the deep end in some capacity, who are dealing with mental health issues by their drug usage, or substance usage. And I’m honoring a human being and that’s what I’m, yeah.”
9. Various shots Kecia Lewis talking to reporter
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Kecia, actor:
“So I play Lurleen. Lurleen was not in the original show. She was in the 2005 anniversary special. And Lurleen is the elder. She’s the eldest of the five, and she is talking about her experience through the history, if you will, of women’s liberation and women’s reproduction. And I will leave it there.”
11. Wide shot Whitney White and Kerry Washington talking to reporter
12. Medium shot Whitney White and Kerry Washington talking to reporter
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Whitney White, director:
14. Wide pan cast
15. Medium shot poster
STORYLINE:
Kerry Washington, Danielle Pinnock, Kara Young, Kecia Lewis, and Dominique Fishback are bringing Whoopi Goldberg’s groundbreaking characters back to the stage in Lincoln Center Theater’s “The Whoopi Monologues.”
The production reimagines the unforgettable women Goldberg originally created and performed, with the five acclaimed actors taking on stories that blend humor, heartbreak, resilience, and hope.
The characters include an immigrant building a new life, a woman struggling with addiction and poverty, and a free-spirited surfer searching for purpose, among others.
Washington, who also serves as a producer, said she was immediately drawn to the role.
“I’m doing the Surfer Chick. I love her so much it makes me giggle even just to say it,” Washington said.
Washington also reflected on why reviving Goldberg’s work still feels so relevant.
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