Playbill and BroadwayWorld: Jordan Fisher Will Play The Kid in Broadway's Purple Rain

Broadway has found its lead for Purple Rain. Jordan Fisher will play The Kid, the role Prince originated in the 1984 film, in the stage adaptation heading to the Majestic Theatre, Playbill reported on Tuesday, November 10. The Associated Press also reported the casting.

Producer Orin Wolf announced the casting, according to BroadwayWorld and Deadline. It is a big assignment: The Kid is the character the whole story turns on, and audiences have spent four decades associating that role with one performer.

The Casting

Playbill reported that previews are set to begin Friday, March 12, 2027, ahead of an official opening night on Monday, April 12, 2027. Tickets are on sale through Telecharge, according to BroadwayWorld.

Fisher will not play every performance. The production's own FAQ page says he will perform Wednesday through Sunday evenings, with an alternate performer taking the role on most Tuesday evenings, Wednesday matinees and select weekend matinees. Additional casting, including that alternate, has not yet been announced, Playbill said.

Director Saheem Ali praised the choice in a statement quoted by Playbill, describing what he has found in Fisher's take on The Kid as "the swagger, vulnerability, and restless creative spirit we recognize in Prince."

A Familiar Name on Broadway

Fisher is no newcomer to the Main Stem. Playbill noted that he made his Broadway debut as John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in Hamilton and went on to star in Dear Evan Hansen, Sweeney Todd, Hadestown and Moulin Rouge! Before that, he built a screen career in The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Liv and Maddie, Teen Beach Movie, Grease Live and Rent: Live.

What is new is the kind of job. According to Playbill and BroadwayWorld, Purple Rain will be the first time Fisher has originated a role in a new Broadway musical, rather than stepping into an existing production.

The Show Behind the Role

The musical is based on the film and on the Grammy winning album that came with it. Press materials promise more than 20 Prince songs, including "When Doves Cry," "I Would Die 4 U," "Take Me with U" and "The Beautiful Ones," according to BroadwayWorld.

Playbill reported that the musical had its world premiere at the State Theatre in Minnesota last year, and that the Broadway production comes with a largely new creative team. Ali, a Tony nominee for Buena Vista Social Club, directs, and Peter Duchan of Dogfight writes the book. Tony winner Jason Michael Webb leads the music team, and Ebony Williams choreographs.

There is a direct line to Prince's own circle as well. Bobby Z and Morris Hayes, longtime Prince bandmates and collaborators, continue as music advisers, Playbill said. Bobby Z drummed for Prince for almost a decade and appeared in the film, while Hayes played keyboards for him for nearly two decades.

Why the Story Is Getting Coverage

Stage versions of beloved music films live or die on the lead. Casting a performer audiences already trust on Broadway lowers the risk for producers and gives ticket buyers a name months before the curtain goes up. That is part of why a single casting announcement was picked up by Playbill, AP, Deadline and BroadwayWorld.

It also sets a clear test. Fisher is not being asked to impersonate Prince, at least according to the way the production describes the story: The Kid is a fictional young musician in the Minneapolis club scene of 1984. How closely the performance echoes the original is something audiences will judge next spring.

What Is Confirmed and What Is Not

Confirmed: the role, the theater, the preview and opening dates and the creative team named above. Not yet announced: the rest of the cast, including Fisher's alternate, and any details about how the stage version reshapes the film's story beyond the official synopsis.

Until those announcements come, the accurate version of this story is short. Purple Rain has its Kid, and the countdown to March has started. Hollywood Magazine will follow the casting as it develops.