In 1984, years before she became a one-name star, Whoopi Goldberg wrote and starred in a one-woman show called The Whoopi Monologues. The show and her unique name garnered lots of attention and praise.

She went on to star in movies and television and become a TV personality on The View. She teamed up with Robin Williams and Billy Crystal to launch Comic Relief, raising more than $50 million to fight poverty in the US. She became one of the very few performers to earn an EGOT - Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Awards.

After all these years, her original show has been fine-tuned and now is presented at LCT, directed by Whitney White. This version stars five extremely talented comedic women. Each story involves a distinctive personality and, in some cases, a distinctive accent. While each performer shares her unique story, most offer lessons that remain current, despite the material having been written more than 40 years ago.

The first monologue stars Tony Award winning actress Kara Young in dreadlocks as Fontaine, a street thief who is tough and mouthy. Young engages the audience asking us to respond. Fontaine boards a plane and finds herself in the Anne Frank house where she is touched by the words written by Anne and offers them to the audience. The message seem particularly poignant, given the rising antisemitism and divisiveness in the world today.

Dominique Fishback is a young girl wearing a white shirt wrapped around her head. She explains that this is her blonde hair and she expresses her plan to have blonde hair, blue eyes and be white. Fishback is adorably bouncy, bubbly and youthful. Once again the lesson is to be proud of who you are. Like Young, Fishback enjoys interacting with the first rows of the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, touching peoples’ hair and commenting on their skin color and age.

Zaftig Danielle Pinnock is funny as the Jamaican woman who comes to the US to work for an elderly man she refers to as the Raisin Man, reflecting his very old and very wrinkled skin. Though she claims to not understand his full intentions, she’s a sharp lady with a melodious accent, who appreciates her benefactor, more than do his kids (“The Raisinettes” only care about him when his will is read.)

Despite being written years ago, the show feels current, especially when Kerry Washington as Surfer Girl with her Valley Girl accent finds herself pregnant. Unable to get help, she must deal with it herself. Though times have changed, Goldberg reminds us that for many, attitudes haven't.

The final and longest segment is the marvelous Kecia Lewis as Lurleen, going through the physical and emotional ordeal of menopause. She takes the audience through all the phases of women’s sexuality from sanitary napkins to the pill. While most of the women in the audience nodded in recognition, undoubtedly many of the men couldn’t identify with the subject matter but still could appreciate Lewis’ passion.

The women appear together in between segments - for a chorus, a dance, an embrace. They are all connected by their bond of sisterhood as they share important truths. The Whoopi Monologues is a joyous experience and I felt energized as I exited the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater. The show reminds us how skillful a writer Goldberg is-one who can make us laugh while teaching us.