In the past few years, there has been a profusion of successful Broadway musicals that chronicle the lives and times of some of the world’s most iconic musical artists. Tina Turner, Michael Jackson, and The Temptations among them.
In January, we learned that the North Star state’s favorite son, Prince Rogers Nelson, will soon receive a similar stage treatment. Although rather than his life story, this endeavor will adapt Prince’s 1984 motion picture “Purple Rain” for the bright lights of Broadway. It was announced on Feb. 7 that before its run on Broadway and beyond, “Purple Rain: The Musical” will get its world premiere at the historic State Theatre in Minneapolis in the spring of 2025.
“We are thrilled to present ”Purple Rain” in its hometown next year before it makes its way to Broadway,” stated Hennepin Theatre Trust President and CEO Todd Duesing. “As the birthplace of the legendary musician and songwriter, Minnesota will see everybody literally dancing in the streets in celebration of seeing Purple Rain transform from screen to stage.”
Moreover, this is not the first time Hennepin Ave. will stage a world premiere of a celebrated drama or musical before its trek to one of Broadway’s 40-plus professional theatres. In July 1997, the Orpheum debuted Disney’s “The Lion King” before it moved on to the storied New Amsterdam Theatre along West 42nd St. in New York.
Who’s involved so far
Two-time Tony Award-winner Orin Wolf will produce the musical, with dialogue from Brooklyn-based playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins that is based on the original screenplay written by William Blinn (“Brian’s Song,” “Roots,” “Fame”), and the film’s director, Albert Magnoli.
Wolf’s Broadway and touring credits include “Fiddler On the Roof,” “That Championship Season,” and “Once,” as well as jukebox musicals highlighting the careers of Carole King and The Band.
Jacob-Jenkins, the 2014 Obie Award winner for Best New American Play, is also a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Slated to direct “Purple Rain: The Musical” is Lileana Blain-Cruz, resident director of the Lincoln Center Theater in New York City, and winner of the Drama League’s 2022 Founders Award for Excellence in directing. Blain-Cruz’s directing credits include the Tony Award-nominated “The Skin of Our Teeth;” both the Obie Award-winning “Marys Seacole” and “The Death of the Last Black Man in the Entire World;” and Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye,” staged at the Guthrie Theater in 2017.
The indelible global impact of ‘Purple Rain‘
Both the motion picture Purple Rain and the accompanying soundtrack turn 40 years old this summer. The movie debuted on July 26, 1984, in Hollywood, where it was reported that fans with seats to one of The Jackson’s upcoming Victory Tour concerts at Dodgers Stadium, were looking to swap those for tickets to the world premiere screening of “Purple Rain” at Mann’s Chinese Theatre.
The next day, famed Chicago Sun-Times critic, the late Roger Ebert, called it, “One of the best combinations of music and drama I’ve ever seen.”
Likewise, writing for “The City Sun,” Armond White declared that “Prince is as incendiary an icon as has ever existed on film,” possessing the “genuine musicianship, singing and performance style to match all the musical legends.”
The film earned $13 million on its opening weekend and took in more than $70 million that summer, while Prince walked away with the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score.
At the same time, the soundtrack spent 24 weeks at number one on the Billboard chart, earned Prince his first three Grammys (plus three American Music Awards and a couple of BRITs), has now sold 26 million copies worldwide, and still sits on an array of lists ranking it as one of the greatest albums of all time.
With “Purple Rain,” Prince distinguished himself as one of only three artists in history (Elvis Presley and the Beatles being the others), to have the number-one single, number-one album, and number-one film all at the same time.
Additional details are forthcoming
The pre-Broadway premiere of “Purple Rain: The Musical” will hit the State Theater stage in 2025 as part of the Bank of America Broadway on Hennepin 2024-2025 season, alongside classics like “Les Misérables” and “Parade,” as well as newer offerings such as “Some Like it Hot,” “Life of Pi,” and “Kimberly Akimbo.”
Performance dates and more details on “Purple Rain: The Musical” will be coming soon. To learn more about how you can secure tickets in advance, visit the Hennepin Theatre Trust at HennepinTheatreTrust.org/Broadway.
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