Everything you need to know about the Prince musical 'Purple Rain' on Broadway

Purple Rain is based on rock star Prince’s semi-autobiographical 1984 movie, which also shares a name with its soundtrack album and its lead track. The story follows Minneapolis-based musician The Kid, the frontman of a band called The Revolution. The Kid has to deal with his troubled family history, his band's internal conflicts, a rivalry with another local musician, and his romance with fellow aspiring singer Apollonia in his pursuit of musical success.

Purple Rain is playing at the Majestic Theatre, located at 245 West 44th St. in Manhattan. The venue opened in 1927 and seats approximately 1,680 audience members over two levels. The Majestic hosted the premieres of iconic musicals like Carousel, South Pacific, The Music Man, A Little Night Music, and, from 1988-2023, The Phantom of the Opera, Broadway’s longest-running musical to date.

Post-Phantom, the Majestic hosted the musicals Gypsy, starring Audra McDonald, and Beaches.

The running time for Purple Rain on Broadway is to be confirmed. The pre-Broadway production at the State Theatre in Minneapolis ran 2 hours and 40 minutes, including an intermission.

The age requirement for Purple Rain on Broadway is to be confirmed. The movie, however, is R-rated due to adult themes. Please note that children under 4 are not permitted in Broadway theatres.

Purple Rain starts performances on March 12, 2027, with opening night on April 12. Purple Rain is expected to play a standard Broadway schedule, with eight performances a week, including two matinees. Check New York Theatre Guide's Purple Rain page for a complete performance calendar when tickets go on sale.

The Purple Rain musical premiered at the State Theatre, Minneapolis (Prince’s home city) in October 2025, and its Broadway production starts March 12, 2027. It is based on the same-named movie that premiered on July 27, 1984.

Purple Rain features songs written by Prince and others. Prince began his recording career in 1978 at age 20 with his album For You. In 1984, with Purple Rain, he became the first artist to simultaneously have a number-one album, film, and single (“When Doves Cry”).

During his lifetime, Prince released 39 albums and received the Grammy President's Merit Award, the American Music Awards for Achievement and of Merit, the Billboard Icon Award, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004,

The Purple Rain Broadway musical features a book by Peter Duchan, who is best known for the film Falling Upwards and the musical Dogfight.

Purple Rain includes the following cast of characters, some of whom are drawn from Prince’s own life.

• The Kid: An aspiring musician with many obstacles to navigate and life lessons to learn.
• Apollonia: A young singer and The Kid’s love interest.
• Morris: The frontman of a rival band and The Kid’s nemesis.
• Father: The Kid’s father, with whom he has a complex relationship.
• Doc: The keyboardist of The Kid's band. He is based on Doctor Fink, the keyboardist in Prince's real-life band The Revolution.

Casting for Purple Rain on Broadway is to be confirmed. For the Minneapolis premiere, the lead role of The Kid was played by singer-songwriter Kris Kollins in his professional theatrical debut.

The song list for the Broadway production of Purple Rain is to be confirmed, but it is set to feature over 20 of Prince’s hits.

This article will be updated with the show's song list once finalized. The numbers featured on the movie's soundtrack are:

• "Let's Go Crazy"
• "Take Me with U"
• "The Beautiful Ones"
• "Computer Blue"
• "Darling Nikki"
• "When Doves Cry"
• "I Would Die 4 U"
• "Baby I'm a Star"
• "Purple Rain"

The 1984 Purple Rain movie won an Academy Award for Best Original Score and two Grammys, including for the same-named soundtrack album. It was inducted into the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry in 2019.

The Purple Rain Broadway musical will be eligible for Tony Awards and other theatre honors in 2027.

Yes — the Purple Rain musical is based on the 1984 movie of the same name, which marked Prince’s acting debut. He also came up with the film's concept, which William Blinn and director Albert Fagnoli turned into the screenplay. The movie was filmed on location in Minneapolis, grossed $70.3 million worldwide, and became a cult favorite.

Learn even more about Purple Rain on stage and screen with the fun facts below.

• “Purple Rain” was the final song Prince performed at his last concert on April 14, 2016, a week before he died.
• Prince’s longtime bandmates and collaborators Bobby Z and Morris Hayes serve as music advisers on the Purple Rain Broadway show.
• The score of Prince hits includes songs he wrote for other artists, too. For example, the Minneapolis production featured Sheena Easton’s “Sugar Walls,” Vanity 6's “Nasty Girl,” and Sheila E.'s "The Glamorous Life."
• A year after Prince's death, color authority Pantone named a shade of purple “Love Symbol #2” in his honor — in reference to his 1992 "fantasy rock soap opera" album and the unpronounceable symbol he changed his stage name to in 1992, both called the Love Symbol.
• Life imitated art when Prince and Morris Day, who played his nemesis, developed a real-life feud on the Purple Rain set.

Get Purple Rain tickets on New York Theatre Guide. Dig, if you will, the opportunity to hear a music legend's film and songs come to life in a whole new way.