In 1984, an unknown named Whoopi Goldberg burst onto the scene with a one-woman show so provocative it demanded recognition. The place was Broadway’s Lyceum Theatre; the director was Mike Nichols, who coordinated the show and called the 28-year-old performer “one part Elaine May, one part Groucho, one part Ruth Draper, one part Richard Pryor and five parts never before seen.” Goldberg inhabited different social misfits, contorting herself into a disabled woman, then morphing into a Valley Girl. The performance launched her into comedic stardom. Over 40 years later, that same show returns, reimagined as an ensemble piece starring Kerry Washington and Kate Young. At Lincoln Center Theater, Goldberg’s disciples embody the characters she created. “This is kind of a new American epic in its own right,” said the director Whitney White. “It’s this kind of little cornucopia of people in this little world that Whoopi Goldberg built.” —Maggie Turner