Prince (October 30, 2024) – “The New ‘Purple Rain’ Musical Has Been Pushed Back To The Fall Of 2025” News Feature - West Central Tribune
Updated: 2 hours ago
This West Central Tribune news feature reports that the world premiere of the stage musical based on Prince’s Purple Rain had been postponed until autumn 2025 to provide additional time for creative development. Originally planned for an earlier Minneapolis engagement, the production was rescheduled for a month-long run at the State Theatre, with plans for Broadway to follow its local premiere.
Publication: West Central Tribune
Date: October 30, 2024
Country: United States
Writer: Ross Raihala
Original Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press
THE STORY
Published under the headline “The new ‘Purple Rain’ musical has been pushed back to the fall of 2025,” Ross Raihala reports that the world premiere of the stage adaptation had been delayed to allow:
“more time for creative development.”
The musical had originally been announced for a run from April 10 through May 11, 2025.
Under the revised schedule, the production was expected to play the State Theatre in downtown Minneapolis from October 16 through November 16, 2025.
The article states that the production was then intended to move to Broadway following its Minneapolis run.
TICKETS
At the time the article was published, individual tickets had not yet gone on sale.
Season subscribers were being contacted with further information concerning the changed dates.
Dale B. Stark, director of marketing and communications for Hennepin Arts, is quoted saying:
“We will do everything we can to accommodate reseating requests throughout the process.”
BOBBY Z AND MORRIS HAYES
The article identifies two musicians with particularly strong connections to Prince as advisers on the stage production.
Robert “Bobby Z.” Rivkin, drummer with the Revolution, and Morris Hayes, described as a New Power Generation keyboardist and longtime musical director, were advising the producers.
Their involvement provides a direct musical link between the new theatrical production and Prince’s wider performing history.
THE BOOK
The musical features a book by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, described in the article as a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and recipient of a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant.
The stage adaptation is based upon the original Purple Rain screenplay by:
Albert Magnoli
William Blinn
PURPLE RAIN
The newspaper describes the original film as semi-autobiographical and notes that it was filmed at First Avenue and elsewhere around Minneapolis.
The article reports that Purple Rain earned $70.3 million worldwide against a $7.2 million budget.
The film also won the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score.
PHOTOGRAPHY
A substantial colour image accompanies the feature, reproducing artwork from a reissue of Purple Rain.
The printed caption reads:
“Cover art for a reissue of Prince and the Revolution’s ‘Purple Rain.’”
The image is credited:
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records
NATIONAL FILM REGISTRY
The feature notes that in 2019, the Library of Congress selected Purple Rain for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
The stated reason was the film’s status as:
“culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”
CASTING
The production was also preparing to conduct open casting-call auditions in Minneapolis for all roles.
At the time of publication, specific audition dates had not yet been announced.
The newspaper states that further information would be released in the coming months.
CONTEXT AND NOTES
This clipping captures the Purple Rain stage musical while the project remained in development.
The most significant change documented is the postponement from the originally announced April 10-May 11, 2025 engagement to the revised October 16-November 16, 2025 Minneapolis run.
Importantly, the article presents Broadway as the production’s intended destination after the local engagement rather than documenting a confirmed Broadway opening date.
The involvement of Bobby Z. and Morris Hayes is particularly noteworthy for the Prince archive, connecting musicians with direct links to the Revolution and New Power Generation to the development of the theatrical adaptation.
FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS
Event: Postponement of the Purple Rain stage musical
Publication Date: October 30, 2024
Revised Minneapolis Run: October 16-November 16, 2025
Venue: State Theatre, Minneapolis
Previously Announced Run: April 10-May 11, 2025
Writer: Ross Raihala
Advisers Mentioned: Bobby Z. and Morris Hayes
Book: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Based On Screenplay By: Albert Magnoli and William Blinn
WHAT THE CLIPPING SHOWS
• The Purple Rain musical postponed until autumn 2025
• Additional time required for creative development
• New Minneapolis dates of October 16-November 16, 2025
• State Theatre identified as the venue
• Broadway intended to follow the Minneapolis engagement
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