“The Whoopi Monologues” at the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater (Photo: Angela Marie Orellana)

Five unforgettable characters first created in 1984 are back on stage in a welcome and joyful revival of The Whoopi Monologues by Whoopi Goldberg. When the play was first performed, Goldberg was a virtual unknown and played all the roles herself. Now, she’s a household name – even a national institution – and in this revival, five actors with star power rejuvenate the text with stellar performances. Whitney White brings a winning directorial touch, but it is the writing that is the real star here. Each story stands alone, but what unites them is their authentic speech, raucous humor, and poignant insights.

Whoopi is not on stage in this revival, but she makes a brief recorded announcement at the start of the show encouraging the audience to enjoy themselves. That’s not hard to do as each of the five vignettes unfold with compelling pace and side-splitting comedy. We first meet the junkie Fontaine. Kara Young’s portrayal is mesmerizing. We are immediately taken into Fontaine’s confidence and Young physically embodies the role. The story takes an unexpected turn when suddenly we are off on a trip to Amsterdam, Fontaine’s first international journey. Young gives a brilliant rendition of the physical indignities of air travel with nothing more than a single chair to help her. Her enactment of the string beans she is served on the plane raised one of the longest laughs of the evening.  She is dressed in an oversized masculine style suit that somehow embellishes the physical comedy Young brings to the part. (The costumes by Qween Jean are on point for each monologue.) Fontaine continues with a moving account of a visit to the Anne Frank Museum that sets the tone and, possibly, the intention for the play as a whole when she quotes a line from Anne’s diary displayed in the museum: “In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.”

This all takes place on a spare set designed by Studio Bent, that might be backstage at a theater. Five dressing room doors spread across the back wall. These are used in turn for the entrances of the five actors. As each monologue unfolds, we see a different side of the writer. Goldberg’s ability to capture dialogue and idioms is highlighted in the Jamaican Lady monologue (in the sure hands of Danielle Pinnock) and in Surfer Girl, where Kerry Washington gives a spot-on rendition of a 1980s Valley Girl. In Blonde Girl, we see Goldberg’s illuminating and tender portrait of a young black girl imagining she’s white. Dominique Fishback effortlessly becomes the adorable seven-year-old.

The Surfer Girl and Lurleen monologues address the lot of women in society, which sadly has not changed as much as you might imagine in the 40 years since the show was first performed. Lurleen is played with sizzle by Kecia Lewis in an amazing orange and gold jumpsuit. She is menopausal and, while flapping a huge red fan to cool her hot flashes, gives us a history of women’s rights through the lens of contraception and menstrual products that had the audience crying with laughter.

Here and there, contemporary references such as Jamaican Lady comparing her defeat of a lascivious boss to “Knicks in five” met with a warm reception from the New York audience. Overall, the monologues have stood the test of time with only a few dated references revealing their origin. Lurleen describing the effect of her hot flashes as “hot as Dick Cheney at a gay wedding” might have gone over the heads of younger theatergoers. Surfer Girl certainly captures a moment in time, but her mannered speech patterns and accent are also akin to the cookie-cutter influencers of our era.

The individual performances in The Whoopi Monologues may be the most fortuitous update of this revival. Goldberg was able to embody each persona with aplomb when she played them all herself, but here we are treated to five top-tier talents in one evening. With some delightful banter and some fun stage craft where all five women appear together, The Whoopi Monologues have been reborn for a new generation and are not showing their age.