Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’ to be adapted for stage musical

Prince’s Purple Rain is to be adapted into a Broadway musical, forty years after the film topped the box office and won an Oscar for its iconic soundtrack.

Based on the original screenplay by Albert Magnoli and William Blinn – and featuring Prince’s music and lyrics – the musical will be directed by Tony nominee Lileana Blain-Cruz.

In a statement to Variety, L. Londell McMillan, chairman of The NorthStar Group, and Larry Mestel, founder and CEO of Primary Wave Music, said: “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.”

“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.”

The 1984 film, which starred Prince in his big screen debut, tells an original story of an emerging Minneapolis rock musician. Though the movie was a hit with audiences upon release, it's ‘Purple Rain’s  soundtrack – which comprises nine songs written and performed by Prince – that has been the most enduring.

Alongside the legendary title track, the stage musical will feature a selection of tracks from the film’s soundtrack including ‘When Doves Cry’, ‘Let’s Go Crazy’ and ‘I Would Die 4 U’. 

In August, The Prince Estate announced an expanded reissue of Prince’s 1991 album, ‘Diamonds And Pearls’, with his band The New Power Generation, featuring 47 unreleased tracks.

Shortly after, two further unreleased tracks from Prince, originally released in 1992 and 2006, were shared through streaming services.

More information and details about the stage adaptation will be announced later this year.