Danielle Pinnock Discusses Reviving Whoopi Goldberg’s Famous Monologues

The “Ghosts” actress talks about why Goldberg’s characters from the 1980s still have resonance, honoring a lifetime influence, and representing her Jamaican roots.

Danielle Pinnock was a teenager traveling by bus from New Jersey to Manhattan in pursuit of an artist who embodied the future she aspired to create for herself, long before she was starring on CBS’s “Ghosts” or performing alongside Kerry Washington and Kara Young.

She found a recording of Whoopi Goldberg‘s ground-breaking 1985 one-woman act “Direct from Broadway” at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center as a result of her search.

Pinnock discovered evidence that she, too, could build her own path as she watched Goldberg vanish into a variety of memorable personalities.

This month, Pinnock returns to Lincoln Center as one of the stars of “The Whoopi Monologues,” contributing to the revival of Goldberg’s renowned production. This brings the narrative full circle.

In an interview with Reuters from New York City, Pinnock talks about paying tribute to one of her biggest inspirations, the duty of portraying her Jamaican ancestry on stage, and why she wants the audience to leave the theater prepared to leave their own legacy.

For clarity, the conversation that follows has been edited and condensed.

Whoopi Goldberg has been referred to as your “north star.” What does it mean to assist in reviving “The Whoopi Monologues” on stage?

This woman is an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award winner) for a reason. She is a talent that comes only once in a generation. Not only am I thrilled to be in this piece, but I’m also thrilled to be in it with these amazing actors.

We feel like we’ve formed a lovely sisterhood, and Whitney White, the director, has provided us with such a secure environment in which we can experiment, share our tales, and relate our own experiences to these characters.

The Lincoln Center Library is where you first saw Whoopi’s one-woman act. You’re doing this task in Lincoln Center right now. It’s a fantastic full-circle moment.

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