Musical Today
Cut-paper illustration: a white dove between sweeping purple streaks, above a pool of stage light on a red floor.

Purple Rain

What Purple Rain actually is

The 1984 film follows The Kid, a young Minneapolis musician fighting his rivals, his father's temper and his own on the way to one night on stage at First Avenue. The musical takes that story and the album that came with it, and adds more of the catalogue: “Take Me with You” and “The Beautiful Ones” are among the songs the production names.

Peter Duchan wrote the book and Saheem Ali directs. Jason Michael Webb supervises, arranges and orchestrates the music, Ebony Williams choreographs and David Zinn designs the set. Bobby Z and Morris Hayes, who both played in Prince's bands, are the production's music advisers. Orin Wolf produces.

The Kid has not been cast. The production says the company will be announced later, which leaves the first question anyone asks of a Prince musical — who sings these songs — open for now.