Kris Kollins Photo by Matthew Murphy

To answer the first question, while I am not among the insiders (the program lists a whopping thirty-one names as producers or co-producers), my guess is that, yes, Purple Rain will land on Broadway. Given the high-flying credentials of its creative team, the high-end production values lavished on the show; and the appeal to a legion of fans that Purple Rain and Prince still claim forty-one years after the movie's release and nine years after the iconic star's death, yes, there is quite likely a momentum to push the show on to the Great White Way. That creative team includes Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins, who wrote the book and has picked up Tony Awards in each of the last two Broadway seasons: Best Revival of a Play in 2024 for Appropriate and Best New Play in 2025 for Purpose (for which he was also awarded the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Drama). As to the second question, that depends on how much work the team is willing to put into addressing some of Purple Rain's shortcomings as it now stands.

The show already has some tremendous things going for it. Foremost is Prince's music. There are the beloved songs known from the movie and its phenomenal soundtrack recording that won two Grammy Awards, spawned four top-ten singles, and sat atop the Billboard Top 200 Chart for 24 consecutive weeks. A number of additional songs from Prince's catalog find their way into the show, which serves to expand the overall presence of the music–including a nice take on "Nothing Compares 2 U"–and to satisfy Prince fans. Not only is the music present, but it sounds great. With music supervision, arrangements, and orchestrations by Jason Michael Webb (another Tony winner), the baton of music director James Davis Jr., and filtered through crystalline sound design by Palmer Heffernan, the music does not disappoint in terms of tonal quality.

Added to that, the voices doing the singing are terrific. The majority of the songs are sung by Kris Kollins as The Kid (the character from the film who is clearly a stand-in for the Purple One). Kollins is making his professional acting debut in Purple Rain–talk about a "star-is-born" opportunity. At this point, though, Kollins' acting leaves us wanting. Most of his dialogue comes across flat, with the affect of a bored adolescent. Then again, Prince, in his own movie, came across the same way. If Kollins has been directed to resemble Prince as much as possible, he is doing the job. Unfortunately, one hopes that in bringing Purple Rain from screen to stage, this would be an area where the stage version improves on the source material.

Rachel Webb Photo by Matthew Murphy

Director Lileana Blain-Cruz, a Tony nominee for The Skin of Our Teeth at Lincoln Center, has worked well with Jacobs-Jenkins' book to integrate dialogue scenes into musical ones, and to keep the audience focused as the action pivots between a conversations at a high-top or bistro table and the performers on stage at the club, modeled on First Avenue, the club where Prince established his career and in which much of the Purple Rain movie was filmed, (literally two and a half blocks from the State Theatre, where the musical is playing). Blain-Cruz handles the movement of people on or off stage fluidly, creating the vibe of an actual club scene.

Another huge positive in Purple Rain is Ebony Williams' choreography. There is lots of it, and it is always in synch with the music. Williams gives each of the large ensemble unique moves, generating the feel of a crowded club with bodies issuing their own response to the music. The dance is heavy in sensuality, which is in keeping with a lot of Prince's music, and the ensemble not only sings well, but are crazy good dancers. One thing though: The dancers showing up in The Kid's studio digs, meant to add to the vibe of sensuality infusing the show, fine as they are, feel like too much frosting on an already rich cake.

The show can brag about its tremendous projections and video (by Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom) that includes surprisingly effective film clips of Apollonia submitting to a horribly intrusive interview, part of the wages of going after the big time in L.A. It also has fantastic lighting design (by Yi Zhao) that creates the feel of a rock, sex, and substance infused club, while illuminating a well-conceived set design by multiple Tony winner David Zinn, and the totally apt costumes designed by Tony winner Montana Levi Blanco. The show looks great, sounds great, and moves great.

But there are big flaws. Foremost is that it adheres too closely to movie on which the show is based. Purple Rain was never move than a device for Prince to display his arrival as a huge star, through his on-screen alter-ego, The Kid (there is a back-story offered as to why that is the character's actual name). Through four-fifths of the show, the character is not very likable–in fact, he is easy to hate, even when we wish we could root for him. He is arrogant, self-absorbed, misogynistic, and insecure–and not in a way that makes you want to reach out and give him a hug. He repeatedly sabotages himself, pokes holes in opportunities, deeply hurts anyone who cares about him, and is incapable of issuing an apology.

Moreover, there isn't much of a plot. The Kid's triumph over childhood trauma and sexist modeling that fates him to become an asshole as he set forth in the world doesn't amount to much. His life sucks, even if a lot of his woes are of his own making (videos that depict the trauma inflicted by his abusive father notwithstanding), until he, in one fell swoop, seems to have figured it out–maybe. We have to base his "recovery" in the final moments on his earnest delivery of the title song, which seems like an act of contrition. But singing a song is different from actually being good to people, so I, for one, am not thoroughly convinced.

Another questionable element in the Jacob-Jenkins' book is the role of The Kid's father, who shows up a couple of times at The Kid's pad and offers sage advice. As these are the only times we see the father, it feels overly formulaic. An opportunity to gain a glimpse of their relationship first would make Dad showing up to offer advice feel more authentic. However, there is one strongly positive note in book, which empowers the women musicians to stand up and reject the sexist treatment, not only by The Kid, but by the entire rock and roll culture–Morris is more of a gentleman, but still a total sexist.

Which leads to another issue. In a couple of places, the placement of the songs–the show's long suit–deflates their impact. That is especially true of "When Doves Cry," one of the best-loved songs from the movie, which is given kind of a throw-away treatment as an audition number, and of "Purple Rain" itself, the movie's tent-pole anthem that is given a strong treatment on stage, but ends, along with the show, kind of abruptly. It's good that the curtain call includes a rousing pairing of Prince hits (including the ultra-confident "Baby I'm a Star"); otherwise, the audience would be walking out of the theater without that pumping adrenaline we should expect from a musical based on Purple Rain.

There are some other quirky things going one, but most egregious is the motorcycle. This is an iconic piece of the movie that, no doubt, the show's creators felt must be seen, but its use is so gratuitous, not only doesn't it add anything to the show, but it underscores a sense of artifice. Either get rid of it or make it matter.

Can Purple Rain be salvaged and come up not only as a name-brand draw, but high-class musical? Kollins' acting, over time, could improve, and he already has the vocals, the moves, and a bona fide Prince vibe about him. The book could be rejiggered to make The Kid's raised consciousness feel like more of a process than a need to become mellow in time for the final number, to build up the relationship between The Kid and his father, and slice off a lot of his unpleasant brooding. Create a better frame for "When Doves Cry" and do something to make the delivery of the anthem "Purple Rain" a more emphatic conclusion.

The genius behind the whole Purple Rain affair, Prince, was known as a harsh perfectionist, and one has to wonder what he would have to say about this stage rendition. In its current state, it is a large and lumbering show, with many good attributes, raised mainly by Webb's star performance and a strong ensemble, great choreography, some stellar design and tech work, and most of all, the music.

Purple Rain runs through November 23, 2025, at the State Theatre, 805 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis MN. For tickets and information, please call 612-339-7007 or visit hennepintheatretrust.org.

Music and Lyrics: Prince; Book: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, based on the film Purple Rain, screenplay by Albert Magnoli & William Blinn; Director: Lileana Blain-Cruz; Choreographer: Ebony Williams; Music Supervisor, Arrangements, and Orchestrations: Jason Michael Webb Scenic Design: David Zinn; Costume Design: Montana Levi Blanco; Lighting Design: Yi Zhao; Sound Design: Palmer Heffernan; Properties & Video Design: Nathan Amzie, Joe Ransom; Hair Design: Cookie Jordan; Makeup Design: Kyle Krueger; Associate Director: abigail jean-baptiste; Associate Choreographers: Ardyn Flynt, Justin Prescott; Prince Music Advisors: Bobby Z, Morris Hayes; Music Director: James Davis, Jr.; Electronic Music Design: Billy Jay Stein & Hiro Iida for Strange Cranium; Associate Music Supervisor: Matthew Berzon; Music Coordinator: Michael Aarons; Fight Director: Michael Rossmy; Intimacy Director: Christa Marie Jackson; Casting: Taylor Williams, CSA; Production Stage Manager: Amanda Spooner.

Cast: Bilaal Avaz (Doc), Leon Addison Brown (Father), Christian Burse (ensemble), Jaci Calderon (Susan), Jojo Carmichael (ensemble), Adante Carter (ensemble), Lawrence Gilliard Jr. (Billy), Anissa Marie Griego (Jill), Dion Simmons Grier (ensemble), Jared Howelton (Morris), Christina Jones (Brenda), Kris Kollins (The Kid), Emma Lenderman (Lisa), Chase Maxwell (ensemble), Gían Pérez (Bobby), Kondwani Phiri (Mark), Christine Shepard (ensemble), Jake Tribus (ensemble), Sabrina Victor (ensemble), Charles P. Way (ensemble), Rachel Webb (Apollonia), Antonio Michael Woodard (Jerome/Cabbie/Dez), Peli Naomi Woods (ensemble), Grace Woo (Wendy).