The “Purple Rain” musical now has two Prince associates acting as music advisors and official run dates, the show’s producer Orin Wolf announced Thursday. Robert “Bobby Z.” Rivkin, drummer of the Revolution, and New Power Generation keyboardist and onetime musical director Morris Hayes will advise producers on the production, which features a book by two-time Pulitzer Prize-finalist and MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant winner Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (“Appropriate”), based on the original screenplay by Albert Magnoli and William Blinn.
The musical’s pre-Broadway world premiere will run April 10 through May 11 at the State Theatre in downtown Minneapolis, with an official opening night of April 30. Tickets are currently only available to Broadway on Hennepin season subscribers. See hennepinarts.
org for details. “Bringing in Morris Hayes and Bobby Z, two of Prince’s longtime collaborators, was extremely important as we move forward with the pre-Broadway premiere of ‘Purple Rain,’ ” said Larry Mestel, CEO of Primary Wave Music, which controls the Prince estate with three of his siblings, in a news release. “Having worked with Prince for years, they will ensure this production holds true to Prince’s vision and continues his legacy.
Matching their history and musical contributions with Prince, alongside the creative team already in place, will surely bring magic to the stage.” Jacobs-Jenkins, director Lileana Blain-Cruz and music supervisor Jas.
