by Jeroslyn JoVonn
October 14, 2025
The Purple Rain musical is set for its pre-Broadway debut in Prince’s hometown of Minneapolis.
The cast and crew of the inaugural Purple Rain musical are ready for its Oct. 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 Prince before Purple Rain, Kollins has never acted professionally. He stars opposite Rachel Webb, a soulful Broadway performer known for playing the title role in & Juliet, who takes on the role of Apollonia, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Together, they perform hits from the classic 1984 musical film in the first-ever stage adaptation, produced by Tony winner Orin Wolf and featuring 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 advisers.
“It’s going to be a party, I’m excited,” Blain-Cruz said.
Blain-Cruz delved deeply into the film and Prince’s live performances throughout his vibrant career, eager to bring his unique energy to the stage. The stakes are high, especially as Jacobs-Jenkins calls Prince the “Mozart of our time,” intensifying the “pressure” they feel to honor his legacy accurately.
“We heard through various people that at the end of his life he was actually considering making a musical; he loved the theater, you know, so I feel like in some ways this is the theatre trying to love him back or something,” Jacobs-Jenkins said.
For Webb, an award-winning director, composer, lyricist, musical director, producer, and arranger overseeing music supervision, arrangements, and orchestrations for the musical Purple Rain, was a natural fit. Drawing on his acclaimed work in theater, film, and television, including Choir Boy (2019), MJ the Musical (2022), and Kenny Leon’s Much Ado About Nothing, Webb says arranging the show was straightforward, as Prince had already laid the groundwork in the original film and album.
“The truth and the love of Prince’s music is so powerful that it is going to be the driving force,” Webb said.
Webb won’t reveal which songs will feature at the premiere, as choreographer Ebony Williams notes the team is still in the creative process and may swap numbers based on audience feedback.
“We’re still in the process, so like an audience could come one night and hear a song and maybe the next night if it didn’t feel like it affected the audience in the way that we thought, and if we hear criticism from the audience, maybe we might change that, you know, we’re still in process,” Williams said.
Previews for Purple Rain begin on Oct. 16, leading up to the official opening on Nov. 5 at 6:30 p.m. at the State Theatre. Preview tickets are priced from $88 to $491, while tickets after Nov. 5 range from $93 to $522.
RELATED CONTENT: D’Angelo, Neo-Soul Pioneer and Three-Time Grammy Winner, Dies at 51
