More than 2,000 Prince fans, followers and theatergoers waited in lines that stretched around the block Thursday night to catch the first-ever public performance of the “Purple Rain” musical at the State Theatre in downtown Minneapolis.
First announced in January 2024, and delayed six months to “allow for more time for creative development,” the musical’s first three weeks are previews. Think of it as a work in progress. Producers use these early performances to gauge what works, and what doesn’t, and to measure how audiences respond to the proceedings on stage.
It’s standard practice for shows so new that, according to Tony-nominated director Lileana Blain-Cruz in her pre-show introduction, Thursday was only the second time the cast had performed the musical in full. It’s likely that there will be changes made in the weeks to come. With an intermission, opening night ran more than three hours, so some edits seem inevitable.
As such, this is not a proper review of “Purple Rain.” It officially opens Nov. 5 and that’s when critics will weigh in on the show’s merits. Instead, this is merely observations from the first performance.
It’s not the story of Prince
Producers have rights to the 1984 film “Purple Rain,” but do not have rights to Prince’s personal story. And the film is only semi-autobiographical and reflects some actual details about Prince among plenty of sheer fiction.
Still, it can be difficult to separate the two. The Prince character is named the Kid in the show, but many of the other roles are named after actual people who appeared in the movie, like drummer Bobby Z. and vocalist Apollonia. Plus, both the original film and soundtrack were massive, worldwide hits that instantly turned Prince into a superstar. For many, their Prince memories began with the image of the Purple One perched on his motorcycle.
Something to keep in mind while watching “Purple Rain” is that newcomer Kris Kollins isn’t playing Prince. He’s playing Prince playing the Kid.
It feels like a Broadway show
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Producers have said from the start that the plan is to bring “Purple Rain” to Broadway after its hometown debut. With a reported budget of $26.5 million, the show very much looks and feels like a full Broadway production, not a slimmed-down version like many touring shows.
That means a large cast of actors and musicians performing on a lavish set with a number of costume changes. The aforementioned Bobby Z. along with fellow Prince associate Morris Hayes serve as musical advisers, which helped ensure Prince’s music is presented in its true spirit.
The cast and crew are stocked with seasoned Broadway professionals, including two-time Tony Award winner and Pulitzer Prize recipient Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, who wrote the book, and Tony Award winner Jason Michael Webb as the music supervisor who provides musical arrangements and orchestrations for the production.
It gets dark
The film is remembered for Prince’s otherworldly performances, captured live on stage at First Avenue (which is renamed “the First” in the musical). But it took some dark and sexist turns, including a scene with a woman being thrown into a dumpster. The Kid also physically assaults Apollonia at one point.
The musical both reflects that sexism and counters it. Jacobs-Jenkins fleshes out Apollonia’s character and uses Prince’s bandmates Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman to question the male-centered culture of the time.
While there is some humor and plenty of memorable music, the show also examines mental health issues and portrays abuse in graphic ways. And, like the film, explicit language is plentiful.
The casting will spur discussion
The trick with a jukebox musical like this that portrays an iconic figure like Prince is that it’s an almost impossible task to find an actor who can live up to the Purple One’s presence.
Performing in Minneapolis, Kollins faces a level of scrutiny he won’t on Broadway, or any other place “Purple Rain” may play. As the musical makes abundantly clear, Prince was a Minnesotan. And many in the audiences for the musical likely saw Prince live, multiple times even, and have close connections to those in his orbit. Many Minnesotans of a certain age have their own Prince stories, from longtime fans who made late-night pilgrimages to Paisley Park to employees of Prince haunts like the Dakota and Electric Fetus to neighbors who frequently spotted him riding his bike around Chanhassen.
Kollins is surrounded by top-notch performers, including seasoned Broadway vet Rachel Webb as Apollonia and “Hamilton” actor Jared Howelton, whose over-the-top portrayal of Morris Day is hilarious.
It’s full of Prince’s music
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“Purple Rain” opens with the Kid performing live at the First and, numerous times, the musical shifts more into concert territory. These scenes sparkle with excitement and, Thursday night, had some audience members cheering and occasionally weeping.
The musical includes the familiar tracks from the excellent soundtrack, from “Let’s Go Crazy” to “I Would Die 4 U” to “When Doves Cry.” It also incorporates other Prince-penned songs, including “Kiss,” “Nothing Compares 2 U” and “U Got the Look.”
Whatever they may think about the production as a whole, it’s hard to imagine theatergoers not leaving stunned by the performances of “The Beautiful Ones” and “Darling Nikki,” two moments when “Purple Rain” truly captures the man, the myth and the legend.
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