Kris Kollins and Rachel Webb Will Star In World Premier Staged Production Of PURPLE RAIN

“It’s time we all reach out for something new” — like a new cast of a new musical! Initial casting for the pre-Broadway premier of Purple Rain has been announced. Musician/songwriter Kris Kollins will make his stage debut by starring as The Kid, and Rachel Webb will star opposite him as Apollonia. The production will run from Oct. 16 to Nov. 16 in Hennepin Arts’ State Theatre in Minneapolis.

Additionally, the production’s choreographer will be Ebony Williams and director will be Lileana Blain-Cruz. 

Kollins was discovered by casting director Taylor Williams on social media. He is a D.C.-based singer/songwriter who released his first EP, Pistachio, last year. His single GSAW can be heard in Paramount+’s Noah’s Arc: The Movie. Webb most recently starred as the titular role in the first North American tour of & Juliet after performing in the original Broadway company. She performed alongside Kristin Chenoweth in her For the Girls tour. 

Purple Rain brings to life the iconic story by Prince on stage for the first time. It features a book by two-time Tony Award winner and Pulitzer Prize winner Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, who is behind the 2025 Tony Award-winning Best Play Purpose. 

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 Prince Music Advisers. 

Purple Rain tells the story of The Kid, a talented but troubled young musician trying to make it in the Minneapolis club scene. As he contends with a tumultuous home life, a rival band, and an unexpected romance with an aspiring young singer, The Kid fights to find his voice and seize his moment in the spotlight.

Purple Rain runs from Oct. 16 to Nov. 16 at the Hennepin Arts’ State Theatre in Minneapolis. For tickets and more information, visit here.