Email this Article Printer-friendly

By Robert Simonson
22 Mar 2005

Whoopi Goldberg, who recently returned to Broadway with a revised version of the solo show that made her a star in 1984, will perform that act on HBO on April 9 at 10 PM ET.

The show, called "Whoopi: Back to Broadway—The 20th Anniversary," will include material featured in Goldberg’s recent 12-week Broadway engagement at the Lyceum Theatre in New York City, which ended on Jan. 30. The program is her first solo comedy special in 13 years.

The special will also air on April 14, 17, 20, 25 and 29.

The Broadway show had an October tryout in Philadelphia at the Merriam Theatre before reaching Broadway. The opening at the Lyceum coincided with the 20th anniversary of the original run, which was also at the Lyceum.

The show re-created the same material seen in the original, in which Goldberg impersonated a series of characters, including a Valley Girl and a pan handler. However, Goldberg revisited the material, adding to and updating it in some instances. A notable addition to the routine was an extended screed against George W. Bush and his administration. Goldberg is known as a vociferous opponent of the current president.

In 1984, Mike Nichols was listed under the heading "production supervised by." This time around he was lead producer. His associate producers are Tom Leonardis, Hal Luftig, Leonard Soloway and Steven M. Levy.

The praised production launched Goldberg in 1984. She subsequently embarked on a film career, which began auspiciously with the lead role in "The Color Purple," and reached its pinnacle with 1990's Ghost, which won the actress an Oscar. Other films included "Sister Act" and "The Player." She also hosted her own talk show for a time, played a recurring character on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," and has frequently hosted the Oscar ceremonies and co-hosted the annual "Comic Relief" comedy specials. Recently, she was the star of a short-lived sitcom.

Since her solo debut, Goldberg has returned to Broadway in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

Keyword: Features/Location: All News Features Celebrity Buzz Writer: All Ackerman, Ari Allen, Morgan Blank, Matthew Bradley, Anne Buckley, Michael Ehren, Christine Gans, Andrew Gewirtzman, David Grode, Eric Haun, Harry Hernandez, Ernio Hetrick, Adam Hylton, Kevin Inverne, James Jones, Kenneth Kalafatas, Greg Khodosh, Ilya Ku, Andrew Lefkowitz, David Maher, Sam Marcus, Jason Mardenfeld, Sandra Mattison, Ben Mazzola, Karen Merlo, Melissa Nathan, John Nondorf, Tom Pincus-Roth, Zachary Rothstein, Mervyn Rudetsky, Seth Scheduler, Mailing List Shenton, Mark Simonson, Robert Staff, Playbill Stekeur, Craig Suskin, Steven Tallmer, Jerry Trinh, Paul Viagas, Robert Windman, Matt Wong, Wayman

Contact Us | Advertise | Privacy Policy

Send questions and comments to the Webmaster
Copyright © 2008 Playbill, Inc. All Rights Reserved.