‘Purple Rain’ Musical Headed To Broadway In 2027
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- Purple Rain musical will begin Broadway previews March 12, 2027 with opening night April 12 at New York's Majestic Theatre, producer Orin Wolf announced Monday.
- The production features more than 20 Prince songs including "When Doves Cry," "I Would Die 4 U," "Take Me with You," and "The Beautiful Ones," with the plot following "The Kid" in 1984 Minneapolis.
- The musical originated at Minneapolis's State Theatre in the Hennepin Theatre Trust's 2024-2025 season; the Broadway transfer brings in a new book by Peter Duchan replacing Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, with Saheem Ali directing in place of Lileana Blain-Cruz.
- Music supervisor Jason Michael Webb and choreographer Ebony Williams return from the original run, alongside Prince's former bandmates Bobby Z and Morris Hayes, who are serving as music advisers.
- No Broadway cast has been announced; the Minneapolis production starred newcomer Kris Kollins as The Kid, with Rachel Webb as Apollonia, Jared Howelton as Morris, and Leon Addison Brown as The Kid's father.
- The 1984 Warner Bros. film grossed more than $70 million worldwide, won the Academy Award for Original Score, and was added to the National Film Registry in 2019.
Why it matters: The transfer moves a proven regional hit to Broadway's biggest stage, but with a substantially reworked creative team — new book writer, new director — while keeping Prince's actual bandmates on as music advisers, giving his estate direct oversight over how the catalog is staged for New York audiences and ticket buyers.
