Newcomer musician/songwriter Kris Kollins will play the Kid, aka a semi-autobiographical version of Prince, in the upcoming “Purple Rain” musical, producers announced Tuesday. Broadway vet Rachel Webb was cast as his love interest, Apollonia.
Tickets for the world premiere production, which opens in previews Oct. 16 and runs through Nov. 16 at Minneapolis’ State Theatre, are on sale now via Ticketmaster. Producers plan to move the show to Broadway after its local run.
Also Tuesday, Hennepin Arts posted a video to YouTube showing Kollins and Webb singing “Take Me with U” as a duet, with Kollins accompanying on piano.
Casting director Taylor Williams discovered Kollins on social media as part of a nationwide search. The Washington D.C.-based musician released his first EP, “Pistachio,” last year. He’s making his professional stage debut in “Purple Rain.”
“From our first encounter with his original music and socials, we were absolutely floored by Kris’s gifts — his musicianship, his voice, his magnetism,” said book writer Branden Jacobs-Jenkins in a news release. “Over the past couple of years of building this show with him, we have been blown away again and again by the depths of his talent and dedication. He is clearly such a star, and we are so lucky because there are probably no bigger shoes to fill in the theater right now.”
Kris Kollins will play the Kid and Rachel Webb will play Apollonia in the upcoming “Purple Rain” musical. (Courtesy of Jon Hanks and Shelby Griswold)
Webb recently starred as Juliet in the North American tour of “& Juliet” following her appearance in the original Broadway company. She has also toured alongside Kristin Chenoweth in “For the Girls.”
“When Rachel Webb walked into auditions for an early reading several years ago, she really blew us away. She is a stunning presence with an incredible voice, who inspired us to really reimagine what was possible for the role of Apollonia,” said director Lileana Blain-Cruz.
The musical features a story, music and lyrics by Prince; a book by two-time Tony Award winner and Pulitzer Prize recipient Jacobs-Jenkins, based on the original screenplay by Albert Magnoli and William Blinn; choreography by Ebony Williams; and direction by Tony Award-nominee Blain-Cruz.
Tony Award winner Jason Michael Webb is the production’s music supervisor and will also provide musical arrangements and orchestrations for the production. Longtime Prince music collaborators Bobby Z and Morris Hayes will serve as music advisers.
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