Purple Rain, Prince‘s smash 1984 music-packed film, is being developed for the stage by a Broadway producer, with a book by two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and direction by Tony nominee Lileana Blain-Cruz.
Jacobs-Jenkins’ Appropriate is currently a hit on Broadway and an all-but-certain shoo-in for multiple Tony nominations this year. Blain-Cruz was Tony-nominated for her direction of the Lincoln Center Theater’s 2022 production of Thornton Wilder’s The Skin of Our Teeth.
The stage adaptation will feature music and lyrics from Prince’s Purple Rain movie and album.
The project was announced today by Broadway producer Orin Wolf. Additional production details and timing will be announced in the coming months.
Although Wolf’s announcement did not specifically mention Broadway, instead simply saying the project is being developed for the stage, Broadway almost certainly must be on minds given the high-profiles and previous credits of the individuals involved, not to mention the ongoing popularity of Prince’s music.
“It’s been almost 40 years since Prince’s legendary film, Purple Rain, took the world by storm and we can’t think of a more fitting tribute than to honor Prince and the Purple Rain legacy with this stage adaptation of the beloved story,” said L Londell McMillan, Chairman of The NorthStar Group, and Larry Mestel, Founder & CEO of Primary Wave Music, in a joint statement. “We are thrilled with our Broadway partners and creative team, who are bringing a theatricality to the film’s original fictional story.”
They continued, “We can’t wait for a new generation to discover Purple Rain and for lovers of the original film and album to experience its power once again, this time live.”
Jacobs-Jenkins’ book will be based on the original screenplay by Albert Magnoli (who also directed the film) and William Blinn.
The film told the fictional story of The Kid (played by Prince, in his film debut), an up-and-coming rock musician in the Minneapolis club scene, as he contends with a tumultuous home environment, a rival band, and a budding romance. Released in July 1984 by Warner Bros, the film became a generational touchstone, grossing close to $100 million worldwide and winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score.
Co-starring Morris Day, Apollonia Kotero, Clarence Williams III and members of Prince’s band The Revolution, the movie included what would become some of the legendary rocker’s greatest hits, including “When Doves Cry,” “Let’s Go Crazy” and, of course, the title track. Credited to Prince and The Revolution, the Purple Rain studio album, which doubled as the film’s soundtrack, was released in June 1984 and received two Grammys in addition to the Oscar. Purple Rain remained atop the Billboard 200 for 24 weeks and has been certified 13x Platinum by the Recording Industry of America.
Prince – full name Prince Rogers Nelson – died in 2016 at age 57 of an accidental overdose of fentanyl, stunning fans, the recording industry and the world at large.
Jacobs-Jenkins is a Brooklyn-based playwright, producer and two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist (Gloria in 2016, Everybody in 2018. His recent theater credits include The Comeuppance, Girls and An Octoroon. His play Appropriate opened on Broadway December 18 to widespread acclaim with a cast featuring Sarah Paulson, Corey Stoll, Michael Esper, Elle Fanning, Graham Campbell, Natalie Gold, Alyssa Emily Marvin and Everett Sobers and Lincoln Cohen.
Blain-Cruz is a director from New York City and Miami whose recent stage projects, in addition to The Skin of Our Teeth, include Michael R. Jackson’s White Girl in Danger, The Listeners, and Dreaming Zenzile. She currently is the resident director of Lincoln Center Theater.