Zimbo Actress to star in Tyler Perry Flick

A 28-year-old, Zimbabwe-born, Seattle-raised actress Solea Pfeiffer is set to star in Tyler Perry's epic romantic drama named “A Jazzman's Blues”. She was first contacted by Tyler Perry himself in March 2021. After a year of the COVID-19 pandemic, and with Broadway still closed, the “Hamilton,” “West Side Story,” “Evita” and “Sondheim On Sondheim” performer was living in her friend’s apartment in New York, doing auditions over Zoom, and mostly making money from singing and acting teaching online.

“I was doing the work-from-home and performer hustle. I’d sing ‘Hamilton’ for groups of people across the world. It was a point where I was just hoping that something would work out. Then this beautiful script came my way.”

“A Jazzman’s Blues,” tells the story of Leanne (Pfeiffer) and Bayou (Joshua Boone) falling in love in 1947 Georgia. However, after Leanne’s family forbids their relationship, the couple split. When they cross paths again several years later, Bayou is a singing and dancing sensation, while Leanne is married to another man. Their passion for each other still runs deep, though, and they soon decide to rekindle their romance and run away together.

When Pfeiffer first read the script for “A Jazzman’s Blues,” she says the description of Leanne felt as if it could “easily be me.” Perry clearly felt the same way: Just a few days after watching Pfeiffer’s audition, he offered her the role. One of the first scripts he ever wrote, “A Jazzman’s Blues” is very much a departure for Perry.

“Tyler has waited a very long time to make this script. He’s had these characters in his head for 27 years,” Pfeiffer said. “Even when I was reading the script, I knew that it wasn’t what anyone was expecting from him.”

Primarily known as the creator and performer of the Madea character, Perry has written and/or directed 24 films since 2005’s “Diary of a Mad Black Woman.” The 12 Madea comedies alone have grossed just less than $750 million at the box office.

“He’s obviously very prolific,” Pfeiffer said. “It just feels very exciting to be a part of his next chapter, especially because of his stature and what he’s done already in his life.”

Pfeiffer has been prolific herself from a very young age. She started to play the violin when she was 4, having been inspired to do so by the 1998 drama “The Red Violin.” She then quickly developed a love for singing, and before long she’d also become obsessed with performing.

“I went to Roosevelt High School, which is where I really started to get serious about theater,” she said. “They had the most unbelievable drama program. I got to take drama classes all the way through high school. It just really set me on my path.”

Pfeiffer even got her first professional acting job at Seattle’s now-closed Balagan Theater, where she performed in the rock musical “Spring Awakening.” All these years later, Pfeiffer is still well aware of the impact Seattle had on her creatively. By Gregory Wakeman | Special to The Seattle Times