Copyright Star Tribune
RP: If we went by the early social media word on this pre-Broadway world premiere, we would have skipped opening night. It was a clunky, four-hour dud. But what this artistic team has achieved in three weeks of previews is nothing short of remarkable. The opening night performance was shot through with thrilling entertainment. True, there are plenty of things that still need to be worked on, including the noisy top. It’s neither a stage bio nor a jukebox musical, even though the nine original songs on the “Purple Rain” soundtrack are padded with about 15 others. Diehard Prince fans want a tribute concert, while theater lovers want a great story with music tightly integrated. And yet there’s no live composer as a collaborator. Given all of that, this “Purple Rain” has funkily electric legs. JB: Maybe I’m too demanding or just like Prince’s mother; I’m never satisfied. But, I held Prince to a high standard because I knew what stupendous things he was capable of. While this is not a Prince project per se, this adaptation of his work — his film and songs — while quite entertaining, falls short, like his heavily flawed movies “Under the Cherry Moon” and “Graffiti Bridge.” Prince never understood that everyone needs an editor, and this musical, which has plenty of potential, desperately needs an editor or two. JB: While the movie was pulled together in less than a year, Bobby Z, the only person who worked on both the movie and the musical, said he’s been involved with the musical for six years. Lots of different voices and craftspeople weighed in, but frankly, the musical seems too closely wed to the movie, insisting on including too many elements that make both acts too long. One big change, a welcome one at that, is a newfound feminist bent with Wendy and Lisa leaving the Revolution to join Apollonia 6, encouraging them to play instruments and not dress like hookers. I expected the musical to take more liberties with aspects of the story. RP: Agreed. It would have been unwise to maintain too much fidelity to the plot and mores of a film that, for all its great music, had backward attitudes around gender, misogyny and violence. So, the plot is changed up, female characters are given more agency and even the traumas that haunt the Kid get a kind of psycho-dramatic gloss. Yes, it’s “Purple Rain the Remix.” JB: Newcomer Kris Kollins as the Kid shows considerable musical talent and an ability to emulate Prince’s dance moves, even doing the splits. Yowza! But, like Prince, he’s not much of an actor. His delivery of his monologues — and other lines — was monotone. Kollins doesn’t have to be cool to rule the stage, but he’s got to be believable. On the other hand, Rachel Webb, who has some Broadway experience, made all the right moves in singing and acting as Apollonia. And Jared Howelton, a Broadway vet who played Lafayette in “Hamilton,” stole the show with his cartoonish performance of Morris. His performance of “Gigolos Get Lonely Too” from inside a dumpster is LOL hilarious, an ingenious twist on the sexist dumpster scene in the movie in which Morris tosses a woman into the garbage. RP: Kollins showed out as the Kid on opening night. That he is essentially an actor-in-training making his debut in front of tens of thousands of people in Minnesota speaks to his bravery and work ethic. True, next to his much-better-trained co-stars, he has a narrow theatrical range, stilted dramatic presence and muddy diction — things that were all true for Prince. But Kollins has convincing musicianship, and his vocals as the Kid double as a channeling of Prince. He was particularly powerful on the climactic musical numbers that close the first act, “The Beautiful Ones,” and the show’s abrupt closing, “Purple Rain.” RP: The creative team’s work transported us into the Kid’s world and imagination. David Zinn’s set, which took us from the nightclub to Prince’s bedroom and elsewhere, was augmented by the sleek projection design by Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom. Also striking were Montana Levi Blanco’s multi-era costumes, including clever references to the likes of Keith Haring. Choreographer Ebony Williams also showed freedom in the dances, which nod to the raunchiness, athleticism and dexterity of the Kid’s world (and for which Prince also was known). JB: The sets are effective, especially the Kid’s purple bedroom with all its candles and the nightclub, known as the First, an unimaginative moniker in lieu of First Avenue. As for the costumes, the ensemble members dress in contemporary ’fits, whereas the Revolution look very ’80s. And the Kid’s outfits are on the nose, including a replica of Prince’s two-piece outfit from the “Kiss” video. If he’s not playing Prince, we don’t need to dress exactly like Prince. JB: They employ the “purify yourself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka” line early to the delight of the audience, a motorcycle makes a mandatory but gratuitous appearance, and the puppet that the Kid toys with in the dressing room is there for the ultimate “Purple Rain” nerds. But where’s the squirt-gun guitar? That would be super-soaking fun. RP: “When Doves Cry” is performed as a kind of composition exercise, and that’s perhaps the most underwhelming musical number in “Rain,” given its hugeness. But one can appreciate the challenge. It’s an abstract bit of song poetry that does not lend itself easily to drama. JB: Like you said Ro, all the negative social media vibes during the previews from Purple devotees made me skeptical. I liked the show more than I expected, though I didn’t get delirious. I was surprised to see the Kid start the climactic “Purple Rain” on piano and later switch to guitar – but it still gave me goosebumps like whenever Prince played it. JB: Fifteen extra songs by your count, Ro. They dip into Prince’s catalog, pulling out some obvious extras like “Kiss,” “U Got the Look” and “Nothing Compares 2 U” as well as the unexpected “Sugar Walls” that he wrote for Sheena Easton and “The Glamourous Life” penned for Sheila E. RP: That feeds the fans and the show. It’s funny that “Kiss” is performed at the top of the show because it does not drive the story forward in any way, but it’s something that made me want to dance. And I have new insight on “Darling Nikki” as the musical equivalent of revenge porn. RP: The music is the thing that lives from the film, music that’s deeply embedded in our cultural DNA, and that is what “Rain” celebrates. While “Rain” has perhaps a little too much exposition and earnestness, it delivers that music with joy. No doubt there will be more work, but that music may just be enough. JB: I have two flashbacks. One is to the glitzy premiere of the “Purple Rain” in Hollywood in 1984. I stood outside the after-party with Steve Fargnoli, Prince’s day-to-day manager and film coproducer, and he was pessimistic. I told him, “Don’t worry.” I have a different reaction this time, one that recalls the last time I did a joint review with another Strib critic, for Prince’s third film, “Graffiti Bridge,” in 1990. I expressed my true feelings, dissing Prince’s acting, directing and everything pretty much but the music. The Purple One got so angry at me that he had me banned from his club Glam Slam for a stretch. I’ll be honest once again: As is, this musical isn’t ready for Broadway. Not yet. But it can make it there.
