In the wake of Prince's death, many of us sought out ways to honor the transcendent music star. We remembered him for the image he created, his songs, the effect he had on our lives — whether it be giving us the courage to be weird or that small spark of life that ignites when the first beats of "Little Red Corvette" drop. And on Thursday night, the Broadway cast of The Color Purple did their best to honor him with a soul-awakening rendition of "Purple Rain."
Watch: Jennifer Hudson honors Prince with a beautiful performance of “Purple Rain”
Hudson and the Broadway cast of The Color Purple gave a soul-awakening performance of “Purple Rain” to honor Prince.
Alex Abad-Santos is a senior correspondent who explains what society obsesses over, from Marvel and movies to fitness and skin care. He came to Vox in 2014. Prior to that, he worked at The Atlantic.
When the show was over, the cast — led by Jennifer Hudson and Cynthia Erivo — came out on stage and talked about Prince’s legacy, his impact on their lives, and the brilliance of his music.
“He said his music will live on and he will live through his music, so we want to keep him alive today with this song,” Hudson said.
And so they did. Erivo leads it off, blasting every note, sending each one soaring into the rafters. There’s amazing life in her voice. Then Hudson just takes monstrous cuts at “Purple Rain.” At around four minutes in, she removes her jacket and sings the hell out of the song.
Hudson wasn’t kidding — she and her fellow cast members gave the man a tribute that will live on and on. The Color Purple cast weren’t the only Broadway performers to pay tribute to Prince. The Hamilton cast honored the singer by dancing it out to “Let’s Go Crazy.”
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