The Reading / Listening - Purple Rain - Level 2

The movie "Purple Rain" will be made into a musical in New York. The film comes from the album of the same name, made by the artist Prince. He also starred in it. This should encourage people to see the musical. The producers of the new musical called it "legendary," and that it "took the world by storm". They added: "We can't think of a more fitting tribute to honour Prince and his legacy than with this stage adaptation of the beloved story….We can't wait for a new generation to discover 'Purple Rain' and…to experience its power."

"Purple Rain" the movie won an Oscar for Best Original Song Score. Critics think the film is one of the greatest musical films. The album spent 24 consecutive weeks at number one in the USA. It spent a total of 167 weeks on the music chart. The movie is about a singer and guitarist who wanted to be famous. It shows his complicated home life, his battles with his musical rivals, and a new romance. Prince died in 2016 from an overdose of painkillers. He sold over 100 million records worldwide. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Purple Rain - Level 0 Purple Rain - Level 1   or  Purple Rain - Level 3

Sources
  • https://variety.com/2024/legit/news/prince-movie-purple-rain-stage-musical-branden-jacobs-jenkins-1235863878/
  • https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2024/jan/08/prince-purple-rain-broadway-musical-branden-jacobs-jenkins
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_Rain_(film)


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. "Purple Rain" will be
  2. The film comes from the album
  3. made by
  4. He also starred
  5. This should encourage people
  6. producers of the new musical
  7. it took the world
  8. this stage adaptation of the
  1. to see the musical
  2. the artist Prince
  3. by storm
  4. called it legendary
  5. made into a musical
  6. beloved story
  7. of the same name
  8. in it

Paragraph 2

  1. "Purple Rain" the movie won
  2. Critics think the film is one
  3. The album spent 24 consecutive
  4. It spent a total of 167 weeks on
  5. The movie is about a singer
  6. his battles with his musical
  7. an overdose of
  8. He is one of the best-selling music
  1. weeks at number one
  2. painkillers
  3. of the greatest
  4. and guitarist
  5. artists of all time
  6. the music chart
  7. rivals
  8. an Oscar

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The movie "Purple Rain" will be made (1) ___________________ in New York. The film comes from the album of (2) ___________________, made by the artist Prince. He also starred in it. This should (3) ___________________ see the musical. The producers of the new musical called it "legendary," and that it "took the (4) ___________________". They added: "We can't think of a more fitting tribute to honour Prince and (5) ___________________ with this stage adaptation of the beloved story….We can't wait for a new generation to discover 'Purple Rain' and…to (6) ___________________."

"Purple Rain" the (7) ___________________ Oscar for Best Original Song Score. Critics think the film is one (8) ___________________ musical films. The album spent 24 consecutive weeks at number one in the USA. It (9) ___________________ of 167 weeks on the music chart. The movie is about a singer and guitarist who wanted (10) ___________________. It shows his complicated home life, his battles with his musical rivals, and (11) ___________________. Prince died in 2016 from an overdose of painkillers. He sold over 100 million records worldwide. He is one of the best-selling music (12) ___________________ time.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Themovie"PurpleRain"willbemadeintoamusicalinNewYork.Thefilmc
omesfromthealbumofthesamename,madebytheartistPrince.Healso
starredinit.Thisshouldencouragepeopletoseethemusical.Theproduc
ersofthenewmusicalcalledit"legendary,"andthatit"too
ktheworldbystorm".Theyadded:"Wecan'tthinkofamorefittingtribute
tohonourPrinceandhislegacythanwiththisstageadaptationofthebelo
vedstory….Wecan'twaitforanewgenerationtodiscover'PurpleRain'an
d…toexperienceitspower.""PurpleRain"themoviewonanOscarforBes
tOriginalSongScore.Criticsthinkthefilmisoneofthegreatestmusicalfil
ms.Thealbumspent24consecutiveweeksatnumberoneintheUSA.Its
pentatotalof167weeksonthemusicchart.Themovieisaboutasingeran
dguitaristwhowantedtobefamous.Itshowshiscomplicatedhomelife,h
isbattleswithhismusicalrivals,andanewromance.Princediedin2016fr
omanoverdoseofpainkillers.Hesoldover100millionrecordsworldwide
.Heisoneofthebest-sellingmusicartistsofalltime.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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