MINNEAPOLIS — “Purple Rain” began preview performances Oct. 16 at Minneapolis’ State Theatre, and ever since, many of those who have thronged to the stage adaptation of Prince’s 1984 film have been blowing up social media with their hot takes.

But those reviews come with caveats. For until the show opens Nov. 5, the posters have not really seen the final work. Their responses may be to things that are no longer in the musical or that have been changed substantially.

What happens during previews?

For artists, the most important thing about previews is that the show is out of the rehearsal hall and up on its feet in front of audiences.

For the creative team, which includes the playwright, director, arranger, choreographer and various designers, this is a period of fine-tuning guided in part by audience feedback.

Does a moment land? Are audiences responding as expected, like feeling sad in moments of pathos or laughing at jokes? Do the transitions work and can the action be juiced?

For the audience, it’s a peek into the creative process of the cast and crew, and what they bring to the stage. And at a relatively reasonable cost.

Admission cost

Previews are typically priced lower than the cost of admission for a performance during a regular run. That’s because, as a work-in-progress, the action is up as a sort of real-life test.

If we think of the rehearsal hall as theater as a lab, the show is the experiment that’s taken out of its protected environment. Tweaks are made continuously throughout the preview period.

About opening night

While there are likely to be almost daily changes in dialogue, songs, transitions and choreography in addition to blocking, costumes and other design elements during previews, there are no more alterations once the show opens.

After things are fixed in place, the creative team departs and a stage manager serves as the eyes and ears of that team to maintain the show’s artistic vision.

The official opening day performance is also the one that gets reviewed by critics.

While there are likely to be no more changes to “Purple Rain” that folks in Minnesota will see after opening, it’s certainly not the end of fixes for the musical.

After all, the show is in pre-Broadway tryouts, and that means that all the folks associated with it are tinkering or making wholesale changes that they believe will help them best tell the story in Times Square (and, subsequently, on tour).

How long do previews last?

In Minnesota, they typically vary from two to four days at places such as the Children’s Theatre Company, Penumbra Theatre and Park Square, to a week at the Guthrie Theater and Chanhassen Dinner Theatres.

On Broadway, previews generally last weeks to a few months. Julie Taymor’s injury-plagued “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” holds the record for having the most previews — 183.

By contrast, by the time “Purple Rain” opens on Nov. 5, it will have had three weeks of previews. It will then run for three more weeks, closing Nov. 23.

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