After several weeks of public preview performances to test creative ideas, the world-premiere “Purple Rain” musical adaptation officially opened in its finished form Nov. 5.

Like the original 1984 film, the musical — which runs at the State Theatre in downtown Minneapolis through Nov. 23 before producers intend to bring it to Broadway — incorporates plenty of Prince songs.

So during the nearly two years the renowned creative team has been working on developing the musical, they’ve enlisted the help of two longtime Prince collaborators as music advisers: Bobby Z, who was the drummer in Prince’s band The Revolution between 1978 and 1986 and himself appeared in the “Purple Rain” movie; and Morris Hayes, who was a keyboard player in Prince’s subsequent band New Power Generation for about two decades and served as Prince’s musical director for several years.

While the musical was in its preview performance phase, we had the chance to chat by phone with the duo about developing the musical and protecting Prince’s legacy.

This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Bobby Z, Brownmark & The Revolution performing in the Soundstage on Day 4 of Celebration 2019 at Paisley Park in Chanhassen on April 28, 2019. For the third year in a row, Celebration drew fans from around the world for four days of events at Prince’s studio/residence that was converted into a museum after his death in April 2016. (Steve Parke / The Prince Estate)

Q: What was it like for you to see “Purple Rain” come together onstage as a play during the preview performances, especially after having worked for so long on the project behind the scenes?

Morris Hayes: It was a very cool experience. I just got immersed in it like everyone else, and was just enjoying the show and enjoying what I was seeing. Of course there’s spots where you could say, ‘We could tweak this, or we could do that,’ but by and large, I really enjoyed the experience. I think with a few tweaks, a few minor things here and there, it’s going to be really something special, in my estimation. I like where it’s going.

Q: For you both, as musicians that knew Prince well and played alongside him, how did you approach your role as musical advisers in conversations with the play’s creative team?

Bobby Z: It’s a very good team of folks, and they’ve been very open to whatever Morris and I bring to make it more authentic, certainly musically but also just overall.

Knowing Prince — between Morris and me, I think 35 years of collective Prince knowledge, daily access — we have a unique insight, and certainly the music is what we were brought on to do, to make sure it was at a level that (he would have) approved. And that’s a hard thing to say, but the musical director, Jason Michael Webb, he gained our trust right away as a student of Prince’s music.

Q: That’s a big responsibility on you both, to guard Prince’s legacy and make sure they get it right.

BZ: It is, and we feel it, too. We’re trying to make it better every day, and so far so good. The dancing and music are a huge part of it, and it seems to be connecting with audiences, as Morris said earlier.

MH: Absolutely, 100 percent. What we’re here to try to do is just make sure that the legacy of Prince is protected in terms of the integrity of the music, and I believe that’s been done. As Bobby said, they are going the extra steps to make sure they talk to us, get our opinions. They want to know about the sound. Bobby’s telling them tempos, things that are very minuscule, nuanced things but they make a difference in the musical world, and they’re very interested in all of that.

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Q: What are you both up to nowadays besides working on this musical? How can people find your work?

MH: I’ve been doing a series of master classes where I go to universities, colleges, schools and teach students basically what I did with Prince and how they too can get in this business and this life. I had an extraordinary time with Prince, did a lot of amazing things I never dreamed I would do. I’m from a little small town in Arkansas. So what I’m trying to do is let other kids know that if I can do it, anybody can do it.

BZ: I’m working on a series of projects, doing some home renovation, but I’m really enjoying practicing more than I ever have. I’m finding myself spending more time playing drums, and I’m really enjoying just getting back to the elements there. Hopefully the Revolution will do some shows again next year. And I’m a grandfather, too, so I’m enjoying that. Life is full at the moment, and I’m very blessed and grateful.

Q: Yeah, to that point — what do you say to the next generation of musicians who are coming up and have a story to tell? How do you guide them?

MH: I tell them, the more that you know about the industry that you’re in, the better off you’re going to be. Technology is coming fast and furious. … We have a lot of tools, but it also means the industry is very dynamic. It changes very rapidly. So if one wants to keep up, one needs to be on top of these constant changes and trends.

But more than anything, just learn your instrument. Understand your instrument and your ability as a musician. Technology is one thing, but pick up an instrument and really learn it and how to do your own thing … And work ethic. Prince was all about work ethic; he was tenacious about starting things and finishing things. If you want to be successful, I think you really have to master that part of it.

BZ: I couldn’t agree more. It’s work ethic, it’s finishing projects, and it’s dedication. Look at how hard the team in the play is working — that’s the kind of dedication, they’re just putting their heart and soul into it, and that’s what I did and what Morris did playing with Prince. That’s what it takes.

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HANIF ABDURRAQIB: University of Minnesota Walter Nathan Library Initiatives series presents MacArthur “genius” fellow and winner of the National Book Critics Award for his essay collection “There’s Always This Year: On Baseball and Ascension.” 7 p.m. Monday, Coffman Union Theater, 300 Washington Ave. S.E., Mpls. Free with registration. Go to z.umn.edu/Hanif25.

NICOLE BAART: Presents “Where He Left Me” in conversation with William Kent Krueger. 7 p.m. Thursday, Magers & Quinn, 3038 Hennepin Ave. S., Mpls.

(HarperCollins Publishers)

BARNETT/HARRIS: Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris, authors of “The First Cat in Space and the Baby Pirate’s Revenge,” present an immersive theatrical spectacular with live music, dramatic performance and adventure to celebrate the fourth book in the bestselling First Cat in Space graphic novel series, presented by Red Balloon Bookshop. 6 p.m. Tuesday, St. Catherine University, 2004 Randolph Ave., St. Paul. Ticket event. Go to redballoonbookshop.com.

DALGLISH/KOEFOD: Minnesota authors read from their latest books. Cass Dalglish’s is “Ring of Lions” and Susan Koefod’s is “Albert Park: A Memory in Lies.” Emcee is Gary Lindberg, editor, author and founder of Calumet Editions. 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Inkwell Booksellers, 428 E. Hennepin Ave., Mpls.

DOG MAN: Release party for “Dog Man: Big Jim Believes!,” 14th book in Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man series of graphic novels. 1 p.m. Saturday, Red Balloon Bookshop, 891 Grand Ave., St. Paul.

PEG GUILFOYLE: Reads from “An Eye for Joy: Noticing the Good World Everywhere.” 11 a.m. Saturday, Storyline Books, Union Depot, 214 E. Fourth St., St. Paul.

TRUNG LE NGUYEN: Introduces “Angelica & the Bear Prince,” about a high schooler’s magical trip from burnout to a surprising romance. 6 p.m. Monday, Next Chapter Booksellers, 38 S. Snelling Ave., St. Paul.

LINDSAY STUART HILL: Staff member at Next Chapter Booksellers launches her poetry collection “World of Dew,” with Michael Prior. 6 p.m. Tuesday, Next Chapter Booksellers, 38 S. Snelling Ave., St. Paul.

MONETTE MAGRATH: One-woman show based on the writings of Zelda Fitzgerald, wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald, presented by Friends of the St. Paul Public Library. 7 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday and Nov. 16, Landmark Center, 75 W. Fifth St., St. Paul. $35-$45. Reservations at thefriends.org.

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Today is Sunday, Nov. 9, the 313th day of 2025. There are 52 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Nov. 9, 1938, Nazis looted and burned synagogues as well as thousands of Jewish-owned stores and houses in Germany and Austria in a pogrom or deliberate persecution that became known as “Kristallnacht.”

Also on this date:

In 1906, Theodore Roosevelt made the first trip abroad of any sitting U.S. president in order to observe construction of the Panama Canal.

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In 1935, United Mine Workers President John L. Lewis and other labor leaders formed the Committee for Industrial Organization.

In 1965, the great Northeast blackout began with a series of power failures lasting up to 13 1/2 hours, leaving 30 million people in seven states and part of Canada without electricity.

In 1976, the U.N. General Assembly approved resolutions condemning apartheid in South Africa, including one characterizing the white-ruled government as “illegitimate.”

In 1989, communist East Germany threw open its borders, allowing citizens to travel freely to the West for the first time in decades — a landmark event often referred to as the fall of the Berlin Wall.

In 2007, President Gen. Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan placed opposition leader Benazir Bhutto under house arrest for a day and rounded up thousands of her supporters to block a mass rally against his emergency rule. Bhutto would be assassinated weeks later on Dec. 27 in a shooting and bombing attack that killed at least 20 people.

In 2011, after 46 seasons as Penn State’s head football coach and a record 409 victories, Joe Paterno was fired along with the university president, Graham Spanier, over their handling of child sex abuse allegations against former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky.

In 2023, surgeons at Langone Health in New York announced that they performed the world’s first transplant of an entire human eye in May of that year, operating on a man whose face was badly damaged in an accident with high-voltage power lines.

Today’s Birthdays:

Film director Bille August is 77.
Actor-bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno is 74.
Gospel singer Donnie McClurkin is 66.
TV writer-director-producer Ryan Murphy is 60.
Rapper Scarface (Geto Boys) is 55.
Blues singer Susan Tedeschi (teh-DEHS’-kee) is 55.
Golfer David Duval is 54.
Actor Eric Dane is 53.
Singer-TV personality Nick Lachey is 52.
Actor-TV personality Vanessa Lachey is 45.
Country singer Chris Lane is 41.

Johnny Tauer has led the St. Thomas men’s basketball team since 2011. Prior to that he served as an assistant coach for 11 years after playing for the Tommies in 1990s and has had more than his share of memorable experiences with the program.

Saturday night he joined a sold-out crowd of 5,325 in reveling in the team’s debut at the Lee and Penny Anderson Arena.

“What a magical night,” Tauer said. “It seems surreal in a way after all that has gone into it. I think this building is as beautiful as any in college basketball.

“There aren’t many things after 26 years in coaching that you haven’t seen. I flash back to being a 6-year-old kid with my dad, not going to the old gym, but the other old gym at O’Shaughnessy Hall.

“To look at where this university has come and where we’re headed is just so inspiring.”

The Tommies, who opened the season with a 84-58 loss at Saint Mary’s on Monday, enjoyed a 21-point lead over Army in the first half and responded to a couple of mini runs by the Black Knights in an 83-76 victory.

Nolan Minessale led the Tommies with 20 points. Nick Janowski had 16, Carter Bjerke 12 and Isaiah Johnson-Arigu 11.

The choice of the Black Knights as the Tommies’ first opponent in their new arena had special significance. Lee Anderson, a graduate of West Point, where he was a member of the basketball team, has long been a financial supporter of both institutions.

The Black Knights play in Christl Arena, named after Minneapolis native Edward Christl, who attended St. Thomas before entering the United States Military Academy in 1941. Christl was killed in action in 1945 and is buried at West Point Cemetery.

The Andersons were saluted in a pregame ceremony and took part in a ceremonial opening tip after being greeted by Tauer at center court.

The Tommies led 8-6 before going on a 24-5 run to take a 32-11 lead with eight minutes to play in the first half, leading Army coach Kevin Kuwait to take a timeout.

The Black Knights then went on a run of their own, cutting the Tommies’ lead to 34-20. The teams played even the remainder of the first half, with the Tommies taking a 44-29 lead into the locker room.

Army cut the Tommies’ lead to 53-46, as close as it had been since the game was eight minutes old. But a couple of driving baskets by Johnson-Arigu got the Tommies started on an 8-2 run that built their lead back up to 13.

A Minessale basket with just under three minutes to play that gave the Tommies a 73-59 lead all but sealed the victory.

The Tommies are back on the road Monday night when they play Washington State before returning to Anderson Arena on Thursday to play Green Bay.

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