When “Purple Rain” hit theaters in 1984, it turned Prince into a global icon — and made Minneapolis part of the story.

Forty years later, “Purple Rain” is now coming to the stage as a musical, premiering in Minneapolis before a hopeful Broadway run.

“Prince was just so ahead of his time in terms of understanding how to capture music on camera,” said Orin Wolf, who is producing “Purple Rain,” the musical.

The show began taking shape just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, when Wolf worked out a deal with Prince’s estate to get access to the rights for a stage adaptation.

“I think their interest in me was that I was an independent producer, and I was really interested in story,” Wolf said.

He added that he wants to keep the spirit of the movie alive in the musical while also reframing it

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