The Whoopi Monologues (2026) – at Lincoln Center: Review

Some of the most notable actresses in their fields come together to help the audience relive some of Whoopi Goldberg’s greatest characters.

ByAmari Allah Hours Posted on

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

Additionally, some images and text may include affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission or receive products if you make a purchase.

Details

  • Language: English
  • Duration: 1 Hour 40 Minutes
  • Performance Attended: July 12, 2026
  • Last Performance At This Venue: August 30, 2026
  • Tickets Starting At: $182.50
  • Genre(s): Play, Comedy, Drama

Venue

  • Theatre Name: Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater
  • Address of Theater: 150 West 65th Street, New York, NY 10023

Production Credits

  • Director(s): Whitney White
  • Writer(s): Whoopi Goldberg

Summary

Fontaine, Blonde Girl, Jamaican Lady, Surfer Girl, and Lurleen return to the stage, with a new actor playing each, but all with the specific personality and story that made them iconic.

Characters and Cast

Fontaine (Kara Young)

With a PhD, charisma, and more than a few bad habits, Fontaine is a multifaceted woman who can draw you in before you realize just how complicated she really is.

Blonde Girl (Dominique Fishback)

A young girl, six going on seven, who doesn’t see herself in media. She sees White, blonde women and, with a shirt, she imagines what it is like to be them.

Jamaican Lady (Danielle Pinnock)

From Kingston, Jamaica, Jamaican Lady goes from working a small shop to cleaning and cooking for an old, rich man, who fancies her to a point.

Surfer Girl (Kerry Washington)

To be clear, though the voice says otherwise, she is a Surfer Girl, not a Valley Girl – there is a MAJOR and lowkey insulting difference. Especially because Surfer Girl is more chill, not as materialistic, and really wants to vibe with cool people.

Lurleen (Kecia Lewis)

Lurleen is a woman of a certain age. She has gone through life and has done a lot, and with hitting menopause, she finds herself looking a bit harder, longer at life, especially as she finds herself thinking about her womanhood and her mortality.

Review

Highlight(s)

A Balance of Laughter and Tears [84/100]

The characters of The Whoopi Monologues live on a spectrum. Jamaican Lady is one funny situation or joke after another. But let it be clear, there isn’t someone who exists on the other side of the extreme. Everyone else exists in the middle. Blonde Girl lives closer to Jamaican Lady, but as you can tell, lack of representation in media has her seeing herself as less than; you do get a touch of sadness. After all, this is a six going on seven year old Black girl who may not take it as far as seeing herself as dirty or outright undesirable, but knows the world may not see her as an ideal.

Then there is Surfer Girl and Lurleen. Everyone knows the Surfer Girl character for Whoopi has long slipped in and out of that character, without even invoking her name. It’s in the way she talks, has a carefree vibe to her, but then comes the devastation when you’re reminded how people like Surfer Girl, who are inviting, a light to people’s lives, have had dark moments. There have been times when they were more so the shadow than the light.

The same goes for Lurleen. It’s fun to watch her trace the advancements, all in her lifetime, from women dealing with individual stockings, getting the pill, pads with wings, to discovering there are still minimal advancements in handling menopause. But, as with each character, as entertaining as they are, while you watch them dance, hear Lurleen sing, and engage with the audience to make it clear that this production isn’t any character just talking at a mirror, you are forced to remember they are human.

I would even say Fontaine, who starts things off, is made to make that abundantly clear. Yeah, she can make you laugh, show she can be as fun as the Jamaican Lady as she tells you a story, but life is real. People sometimes ain’t s***; she ain’t s***, but life can still be worth living. You may have a bit of funk on you, but there is a reason a lot of people know the adage “Laugh to keep from crying.”

Because, as each lady shows, there is always something to laugh about. But when things get quiet, and you let your thoughts get a little too loud, you may hear sniffles, surprisingly coming from your own nose.

On The Fence

Some Stories Go On Too Long [74/100]

Specifically, I felt like the Jamaican Lady’s story went on too long, and the problem with hers, for me, was that it didn’t feel as balanced as the others. While Danielle Pinnock was having a good ole time, her character felt limited regarding range. Everyone else was allowed to give you a fully human character who could subvert their initial impression, allow you to see beyond their façade, and Jamaican Lady? She is just made to be funny from start to finish, and she loses her luster well before her part was finished.

And don’t get me wrong, I get, considering what comes after her set, the audience probably could use something light before they delve into some of the darkest topics a person may have or survive. But I find it difficult to hide my disappointment in how much of an outlier Jamaican Lady was.

Especially since, with knowing the other characters in Whoopi Goldberg’s catalog, one of her most notable, the disabled character, for instance, I feel like Pinnock could have done that character immense justice. All while being a bit more in line with everyone else.

Crowd Interactions [79/100]

Throughout the entire production, and not just at the beginning of anyone’s set, there is crowd work and interactions. If you are in the front rows, you are fair game for someone pointing you out, trying to connect with you, human to human, or making you part of the joke. It’s all in good fun; no one gets bullied, but sometimes it can feel like, in pursuit of connection, it messes with the flow a bit of the set.

I would even say, as much as I appreciated the effort to make these characters feel more human through them touching your hand, your hair, reminding you they see you, it occasionally felt less about deepening the connection than keeping the audience on its toes. Not to the point of feeling like they are an active participant, but by creating the subtle feeling that you should stay alert because you never know what might happen if a performer takes notice of you.

Overall

Our Rating (79/100): Mixed (If Affordable)

I’m not going to pretend like these tickets weren’t expensive. When I originally purchased them, they were $132 for previews on a Sunday, and now they have jumped $50 to $180. That is one of the key reasons why we would only recommend this if you can afford it.

Yes, everyone on stage is a performer who certainly works to make the ticket price worth it, and from laughing to crying, you will find yourself reacting in ways you may not be able to bridle. However, if you’re not big into crowd interactions and want all stars to be equal in not only quality, but time? The Whoopi Monologues might be something worth hoping HBO or Netflix films for their subscribers.

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Amari is the founder and head writer of Wherever-I-Look.com and has been reviewing media since 2010. He approaches each production with hope, rooting for every story to succeed, and believes criticism should come from unmet potential, while praise is reserved for work that meets or exceeds expectations.