MINNEAPOLIS — Forty-two years after Prince’s “Purple Rain” exploded onto movie screens, producers announced last week that the stage version is landing on Broadway.

By the time previews start in March 2027 at New York’s Majestic Theatre, the musical may bear only a passing resemblance to the one that had its raw, messy world premiere in Minneapolis. After that ho-hum six-week run, producers replaced both the director and playwright, effectively rebuilding the show.

But much more surgery is necessary to salvage the production, especially for Broadway’s tough crowds. Star Tribune critics Rohan Preston and Jon Bream consider what must change, what must remain sacred and what it will take for the main character, the Kid, to not get run out of Times Square.

RP: Great to be talking Prince with you again, Jon. I’m remembering how Prince set fire to one of your reviews on the “Arsenio Hall Show.”

JB: He didn’t know I was in the studio audience for that show. He was always passionate, electric and unpredictable in an exciting way. It was riveting to watch him perform.

RP: That fire is what the musical in Minneapolis struggled to find — there was a mismatch between the script and the music.

JB: Indeed. Prince may not have liked what I said about his work, but he respected my opinions enough to always read them. Sometimes, he took them to heart. Maybe this new creative team for Broadway will listen to us, too. Let’s dish.

Vision

JB: The fundamental problem of the Minneapolis production was an unclear vision. Is it a jukebox musical, an adaptation of the “Purple Rain” movie or a concert with dialog and a convoluted plot? The Minneapolis version couldn’t decide, and that hybrid approach turned into one hot mess. Keep it simple. If the right cast can be enlisted, the songs will carry the day. Go for a simple plot taken from the movie: The Kid’s band vs. Morris’ band. Make it a jukebox musical.

RP: Agreed. It had a lot of different ideas fighting like squirrels in a bag. We should add Prince tribute concert to that mix of contending visions. Clarity and simplicity around what the show wants to be will make it much stronger.

Storyline

RP: Many of the problems came from the original material, which, we should all remember, was a first-time effort conceived by a novice screenwriter (Prince). His music was compelling but the artist-against-the-industry narrative was and is tired. My thought is that they ditch a lot of the original book and focus on the music.

JB: The Minneapolis show had more subplots than a week of “The Young and Restless.” The main storyline should be confined to the Kid’s struggles with his artistry so his band can face off against Morris’ band. Deep-six all the side plots like Apollonia on MTV, Wendy joining Apollonia 6, Dr. Fink as a stoner, etc. And ditch the dream sequences with the dancing couples. While they’re rewriting the script, why not reshape the Kid into a more sympathetic character?

Cast

RP: The show was a lot for Kris Kollins to carry. He has charismatic musicianship, but he’s a first-time actor and while he improved throughout the preview performances here, it wasn’t enough.

JB: The casting of the Kid is the crucial role. Find an actor who can sing, dance and play guitar, not a musician like Kollins who was trying to learn how to act. He was as wooden as Prince was onscreen in “Graffiti Bridge,” and he embarrassingly mimed playing the guitar. Time for a new Kid on Broadway.

The standouts in Minneapolis were Rachel Webb as Apollonia and Jared Howelton, who stole the show with his cartoonish performance of Morris. They are worthy of carrying on to Broadway.

Songs

JB: I appreciated how they plumbed Prince’s catalog and added maybe 15 tunes beyond the nine on the “Purple Rain” soundtrack. No quarrel with the choices, but the creatives need to do a more effective job of setting up two key songs — “When Doves Cry” and especially “Purple Rain.”

RP: That’s really the challenge, because there are a dozen other Prince songs I would love to hear in the show. But is it a Prince tribute or “Purple Rain” updated?

Violence

RP: A trash bin that was used as a depository for a woman in the film was cleverly repurposed in the stage adaptation. But they should shed more of that casual violence, which is dated and more easily dismissed on screen than onstage, where it has a different resonance.

JB: I agree. Tension can be expressed differently in theater. To be honest, I’m not sure the musical felt like it was set in the 1980s — or any particular era, for that matter.

Movie nods

RP: The motorcycle was super cool, if underused, onstage in Minneapolis. And maybe it’s being nativist, but they should definitely keep the Lake Minnetonka references.

JB: The Minneapolis musical showed way too much fidelity to the movie. Some of the touchstones were welcomed, like the mandatory mention of Lake Minnetonka and the motorcycle, which, you’re right, was underexploited. But some were a little too inside and didn’t further the plot.

Conclusion

RP: “The Lion King” set a high bar for shows that premiere in Minnesota before leaping to Broadway. But tThere’s so much work to be done with “Rain,” especially with a new creative team, that I wonder how it can succeed. But with their $29.5 million investment capitalization, the producers have much higher stakes than we do. Maybe they know something we don’t about Prince, his fans and musical theater. It needs a better script, stronger lead acting, more lyrical direction and dances that convey the electricity and fire of Prince.

JB: As I said when you and I reviewed the musical in Minneapolis: Maybe I’m too demanding, or just like Prince’s mother, I’m never satisfied. But, I held Prince to a high standard because I knew what stupendous things he was capable of. To aim for that high bar, “Purple Rain the Musical” needs a massive makeover to make it on Broadway. Remember when Prince sang “All the Critics Love You in New York”? We shall see.

©2026 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Visit startribune.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC