Musical ‘Purple Rain’ completed prior to premiere in Minneapolis and debut on Broadway

The cast and crew of the inaugural film Purple rain musical are set for its October 16 premiere in Prince’s hometown of Minneapolis.

Kris Kollins, a multi-instrumentalist with a wide vocal range, makes his theatrical and acting debut as the iconic Prince character The Kid. Like Prins before Purple rainKollins never acted professionally. He stars opposite Rachel Webb, a soulful Broadway performer known for her title role in & Juliet, who takes on the role of Apollonia, the Minnesota Star Grandstand reports.

Together they perform hits from the classic 1984 musical film in the first-ever stage adaptation, produced by Tony winner Orin Wolf and starring Pulitzer- and Tony-winning playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Tony-winning arranger Jason Michael Webb and Tony-nominated director Lileana Blain-Cruz. Longtime Prince bandmates Bobby Z and Morris Hayes join as music advisors.

“It’s going to be a party, I’m looking forward to it,” Blain-Cruz said.

Blain-Cruz immersed himself deeply in Prince’s film and live performances throughout his vibrant career, eager to bring his unique energy to the stage. The stakes are high, especially since Jacobs-Jenkins calls Prince the “Mozart of our time,” increasing the “pressure” they feel to accurately honor his legacy.

“We heard through several people that he was considering doing a musical at the end of his life; he loved theater, you know, so I feel like in some ways this is the theater trying to love him back or something,” Jacobs-Jenkins said.

For Webb, an award-winning director, composer, lyricist, musical director, producer and arranger who oversees the music supervision, arrangements and orchestrations for the musical purple rain, was a natural fit. Based on his critically acclaimed work in theater, film and television, included Choir boy (2019), MJ the musical (2022), and Kenny Leon’s Much ado about nothingAccording to Webb, arranging the show was easy, as Prince had already laid the groundwork in the original film and album.

“The truth and love for Prince’s music is so powerful that it will be the driving force,” Webb said.

Webb would not reveal which songs will be featured in the premiere, as choreographer Ebony Williams notes that the team is still in the creative process and may swap songs based on audience feedback.

“We’re still working on it, so like an audience might hear a song one night and maybe the next night if it doesn’t feel like it’s affecting the audience the way we thought, and if we hear criticism from the audience, maybe we can change that, you know, we’re still working on it,” Williams said.

Previews for Purple rain starting on October 16, leading up to the official opening on November 5 at 6:30 PM at the Staatstheater. Example tickets prices range from $88 to $491, while tickets after November 5 range from $93 to $522.

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