Stage adaption of Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ in the works

The hit Prince film Purple Rain may one day be on Broadway.

Producer Orin Wolf just announced that the blockbuster film is being developed for the stage, using Prince’s original music. Two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist Branden Jacobs-Jenkins is on board to write the book, and Tony Award nominee Lileana Blain-Cruz is set to direct. 

“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. “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.” 

Released in July 1984, Purple Rain starred Prince as The Kid, a talented but troubled musician who escapes his abusive home life through his music. It also followed his budding romance with an aspiring singer, played by Apollonia. The film grossed close to $70 million in the United States.

The soundtrack was Prince’s first #1 and spent 24 weeks on the top of the chart, thanks to such hits as “When Doves Cry,” “I Would Die 4 U,” the title track and “Let’s Go Crazy.”

So far there’s no timeline for when Purple Rain will hit the stage.