Purple Rain
Review by Ernest Goes To The Theatre/Ernest Edwards
Over the weekend, my friends and I went to the pre-Broadway engagement of Purple Rain the musical. The musical was still in previews when we went to it. The official opening night is Wednesday November 5, 2025. The purpose of the out of town tryout, and some weeks of preview performances is to engage the audiences reactions and to work out any kinks. I just learned from a tour of Paisley Park, Prince’s home, that that first performance was almost 4 hours long. Online it said the show was averaging 3 hours. The night we went, including the intermission, it was 2 hours and 45 minutes. I would say some bugs were fixed in the two weeks between the first performance and the night that we went to it.
The stage musical is based on the movie of the same name. The screenplay was by Albert Magnoli & William Blinn. The stage musical has the book by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, musical and lyrics are of course by Prince himself. Directed by Liliana Blain-Cruz. Choreography by Ebony Williams. The Kid is played by Kris Kollins. Apollonia is played by Rachel Webb. Morris is played by Jared Howelton. According to the introduction in the playbill, Bobby Z of The Revolution and Morris Hayes of The New Power Generation were serving as Prince Music Advisors for the musical. That’s kind of cool!
They were very careful in the playbill/program. No songs are listed, not even the old “in alphabetical order” either. What I will tell you, is all of the songs from the movie are in the stage musical. Including the two songs by the Time and the song by Apollonia 6. The musical is rounded out by other songs that were all written by Prince.
The musical is based on the story from the movie. I want to point out that it’s not Prince on stage, it is The Kid. Who is trying to make it in the music scene, and deal with his personal demons too. Another notable change for the musical is that the music club is not referred to as First Avenue, it’s The First in the stage musical.
Kris Kollins as The Kid looked and sounded just like Prince. Although much taller than Prince himself, who was 5 Feet and 2 inches tall. His Kid has a bigger redemption story arc than in the movie. Rachel Webb made the role of Apollonia her own. Rachel has a great voice. She was recently seen as Juliet in the national tour of & Juliet. Jared Howelton as Morris, had really embodied the Morris Day character, and at times was also the comic relief for the story.
The scenery flowed effortlessly between The First, backstage at The First, the Kids apartment and Morris’s rehearsal space.
Purple was the theme of the night. I was wearing purple myself, as were many other theater goers. The ambiance in the State Theater was purple before the musical started. Also in LaSalle Plaza, where the State Theatre is located, is the Purple One exhibit. Lots of images and information about Prince on the first and second floors. A purple motorcycle is part of the exhibit too.
It’s a fun musical. The music is a rocking flashback to the 1980’s. As is the fashions from the musical.
I would say the musical is a 7 or 8 out of 10. It’s good, it’s fun, but it needs just a little bit more work. Not a lot, just a little bit.
It’s only fitting that the musical Purple Rain made its world premiere in downtown Minneapolis, just two blocks away from First Avenue itself. Prince did put the Minneapolis music scene on the map with the film version of Purple Rain.
Photos are by Ernest Edwards of the marquee and the stage before the musical begins.
