Summary
Based on Prince’s 1984 film, this stage adaptation follows “The Kid,” a rising rock prodigy in the Minneapolis club scene battling for the spotlight against rival band leader Morris Day and navigating a volatile romance with aspiring singer Apollonia.
Friday, October 17, 2025 at 7:30 PM Oct 17, 2025, 7:30 PM
DEARLY BELOVED. As a long-time car-scream-a-long-er of “Purple Rain,” I have mixed feelings about the decision to adapt the movie to stage. Would Prince like this show? Is anyone involved actually interested in the answer? It doesn’t feel like it particularly honors The Artist as much as it leverages him and his work as intellectual property. A shortcut to do the thing they want to do, which is, of course, to sing Prince songs on Broadway. I digress.
It’ll be fascinating to see the changes when it gets there. This is only the second performance, and it has a ways to go. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s book needs a surgical consult—runtime is over 3 hours right now, but with fewer songs than that would suggest. They did add a couple of songs to the movie setlist, but it’s not a greatest hits jukebox. (You won’t hear “Raspberry Beret.”) Kris Kollins, making his professional acting debut as Prince, was clearly chosen for his voice—he’s got it, for sure, and some of the songs are really fun—but seems completely out of his depth as an actor. Bad use of screens, too; they just throw some scenes up there, perhaps as homage to the movie, but it feels lazy. There were sleepy heads bobbing in the audience.
Honestly, it’s a complete mess, but that’s probably par for the course at this stage in the process. A lot of the problems are fixable and they have plenty of time.