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Purple Rain coming to Broadway Per Variety.... Forty years after “Purple Rain” topped the box office, winning an Oscar for its iconic soundtrack and solidifying Prince‘s status as the high priest of pop, a new stage adaptation of the film classic is in the works. Based on the original screenplay by Albert Magnoli and William Blinn, the stage version will feature a book by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist who is currently taking Broadway by storm with the critically-heralded “Appropriate.” Lileana Blain-Cruz, a Tony Award nominee who recently oversaw Lincoln Center’s acclaimed revival of “The Skin of Our Teeth,” will direct the show. Additional production details and timing will be announced in the coming months, the show’s producers said.
“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 and CEO of Primary Wave Music. “We are thrilled with our Broadway partners and creative team, who are bringing a theatricality to the film’s original fictional story. 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.” Sorry, it's the Hodgkin's talking. | |
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This is interesting. Never expected a Broadway play based on the film. | |
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I guess Bruno Mars will play the Kid and DC Young Fly will play Morris. Either that, or someone will finally get John Travolta in play | |
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Sorry, it's the Hodgkin's talking. | |
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One of the saddest things about Prince passing away was the thought of never seeing him again performing live, so someone playing him live will to
me, always feel like a let down. Saying that, I hope this thing takes in lots of cash, so it means that all the unreleased songs and live shows get to see the light of day sooner. [Edited 1/8/24 8:03am] There may or may not be something coming! | |
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Yeah!!! Fuck the 2nd Deluxe Edition, WE NEED THIS!!!!!!! "Whatever skin we're in
we all need 2 b friends" | |
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Oh boy, I can't wait for the sanitized modern musical theater version of this classic album! This is definitely what Prince fans with disposable income want in lieu of more unreleased sets! Thank you so much McMillan! | |
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"Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything." --Plato
https://youtu.be/CVwv9LZMah0 | |
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What will they change the masturbating lyric to? "Educating with a magazine" ?? | |
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Some of these Broadway musicals are absolutely INCREDIBLE.
Anyway, my money is ready. Somebody get this done -- right. | |
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was only a matter of time until prince had this.... so many musicals based on other musicians, tina turner, MJ, motown artists, etc, surprised it took this long until prince had the same treatment im cautiously interested though idk if i want it to be just a stage version of the film id prefer they did something a bit different with it.
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it's about time for many years,I have wondered why they didn't consider this.It's an interesting idea and if they do it right,this could be a very successful,long-running project.
Suddenly,the Purple Rain 40th Anniversary SDE now makes alot of sense.Make it happen! | |
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they should do it with someone wearing the eye mask the whole time then we dont have to worry about the actor looking like prince or not make him a pirate lol
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according to deadline, they write that: Jacobs-Jenkins’ book will be based on the original screenplay by Albert Magnoli (who also directed the film) and William Blinn.
wonder what the book will be. [Edited 1/8/24 11:45am] | |
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yeah,great idea.They could flesh out the story a little more. | |
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ok. i'm gonna say it, this is superagist. no old fan would enjoy this. IMHO. [Edited 1/8/24 12:39pm] [Edited 1/8/24 12:40pm] "Whatever skin we're in
we all need 2 b friends" | |
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Prince once said, “In some ways, Purple Rain scared me. It’s my albatross, and it’ll be hanging around my neck as long as I’m making music.” Should have added, and long after I’m gone. I’m kinda of worried that instead of this being a huge smash, that it’ll end up bombing and bankrupting the estate. I just don’t think it’ll be done right, as part of the appeal originally was the musicianship of Prince, which just can’t be recreated by anyone else, unless they involve Wendy and Lisa and/or Jam & Lewis. Hoping I’m wrong. There may or may not be something coming! | |
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Yeah i knew this year would be lame | |
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Well this is the 2024 release then. | |
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FrankieCoco1 said: Prince once said, “In some ways, Purple Rain scared me. It’s my albatross, and it’ll be hanging around my neck as long as I’m making music.” Should have added, and long after I’m gone. I’m kinda of worried that instead of this being a huge smash, that it’ll end up bombing and bankrupting the estate. I just don’t think it’ll be done right, as part of the appeal originally was the musicianship of Prince, which just can’t be recreated by anyone else, unless they involve Wendy and Lisa and/or Jam & Lewis. Hoping I’m wrong. Prince fans and their worrying. I think itll be good. Doesnt sound like theyre going for a straight retread. | |
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As a Prince fan, one thing that is frustrating to me is that, everytime I see something about Prince, it´s usually in our ´bubble´ (Prince sites, Instagram pages, etc). While other artists are always being talked about (for example: today is Bowie´s birthday and my Windows search has his face on it). . I hope this musical is well done and brings new people to know his music. | |
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I will probably go see this musical if/when it comes to Minneapolis after its Broadway run. However, I must admit, the addition of "cancel culture" elements into the fabric of the narrative concerns and upsets me. Purple Rain is a product of its time: people (including playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins) should understand and respect this. Applying 2024 moral sensibilities to classic characters, settings, and stories is a disturbing trend that serves to completely erase or ignore historical context rather than facing it, analyzing it, and learning from it. Just my opinion. https://www.youtube.com/@PurpleKnightsPodcast | |
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Sorry, it's the Hodgkin's talking. | |
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Sorry, it's the Hodgkin's talking. | |
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There is a real opportunity for this Purple Rain play to actually be something different. If they can capture the spirit of the film: dark, moody, funky, nocturnal. I'd love to see the play be more rock n' roll and edgey than the standart broadway show. Wishful thinking perhaps... "New Power slide...." | |
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So nice to hear from Primary Wave instead of just McMillan and Spicer, which is usually the case. | |
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skywalker said: There is a real opportunity for this Purple Rain play to actually be something different. If they can capture the spirit of the film: dark, moody, funky, nocturnal. I'd love to see the play be more rock n' roll and edgey than the standart broadway show. Wishful thinking perhaps... Well they got a real playwright. That's a great start. It would be great if it was artistically challenging and surprising. Kind of the way The Lion King was reinvented. Maybe not that radically. After all, so much of the movie is centered on actual stages. Which is why Purple Rain on Broadway always seemed inevitable to me. | |
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I just had a horrible thought, which I think might not actually be that bad. Justin Guarini. | |
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