BWW Fan Girl: Olivia Hardy on the Impact of Kyle Jean-Baptiste; Plus Exclusive Photos

Miss our exciting announcement about Olivia Hardy joining the BroadwayWorld.com as an intern writer, teen correspondent and @BWWFanGirl? Click Here. Below, is her very first piece of editorial for the site. Special thanks to Baldwin Wallace University for photos from two student productions that Kyle appeared in.

Earlier this week, Broadway lost one of its prominent rising stars, Kyle Jean-Baptiste. At only 21-year-old Kyle unfortunately passed away on August 28th falling from his mother's fire escape. The responses to this tragedy among the Broadway community were filled with sorrow to say the least, but having talked to some of my friends about this, I found their responses pretty remarkable.

Kyle Jean-Baptiste at only 21 had made Broadway history. He was the youngest person to play Jean Valjean in the acclaimed musical LES MISERABLES and also the first African American. In this ever growing and changing society, again at only 21 Kyle has paved ways for many young aspiring performers, especially of color, who have doubted their chances of ever making it to the Great White Way.

The other day my friend Aaron texted me completely devastated by the news. He proceeded to tell me how Kyle had inspired him to work hard in this field because he had shown him that anything is possible. Having had a twitter conversation with Kyle and receiving advice from him, Aaron strives to work hard in memory of Kyle and inspire others just as Kyle has inspired him.

Seeing responses like this to the unfortunate event is very interesting to me because a lot of what I have been seeing and hearing from my peers has not been just about how he has gone too soon. Mostly what I've observed is that people especially of and around my age are in awe at what he has achieved in just 21 years of life. LES MISERABLES written in 1862 by Victor Hugo was clearly not written to have a colored cast. Especially because of the time period, but while watching the video of Kyle performing Bring Him Home, the amount of talent he possessed threw the idea of color out the window. Even with shows like Hamilton which have also redefined the definition of colorblind casting on a very large spectrum, the role of Jean Valjean who has been played by the same physical type for many of years was finally broken by not only an African American, but a 21 year old at that. Many of times I have turned down audition opportunities because I believed that I was not that "type" for the role, but Kyle has proven that even in the most unlikely of roles, talent can be more prominent than physicality.

Back when I was in 8th grade, my school did a production of Thoroughly Modern Millie. At the time, Millie was my dream role, yet I remember telling my mother that there was no way that I could get the role because I was African American. No African American had ever played Millie before. Even though it was just a middle school show and was not as serious as I had believed it to be at the time, I had already started to believe that I could never play the roles I could be great at just because of what I looked like. To my delight I did get to play Millie, and was brilliant at it if I do say so myself, but that was just a school show. Kyle got to portray a traditional role in a non-traditional way in the big leagues. If that's not a huge milestone, I don't know what is. He has given me hope that my middle school dreams can be transferred over into Broadway dreams. Because of him, I could very much well be the first black Millie on Broadway.

The Broadway League committee's decision to dim the lights at the Imperial Theater (clearly approved by Cameron Mackintosh and the Shuberts, and then joined by Lin-Manuel Miranda for the Richard Rodgers Theater, and Playhouse Square) is a huge step in the Broadway community. Although Kyle was not the biggest star, he has become one of the biggest inspirations for generations upon generations of aspiring performers to be just given a chance. From the videos I have seen of the Imperial's marquee being dimmed, I couldn't help but get teary eyed at how many people came out to salute this risen star. What he has achieved will never be forgotten. What talent he possessed will never go unnoticed. I watch as the lights dim over this last and well deserved standing ovation and smile to myself feeling the love and support for him even from my living room in New Jersey.

I send my heart out to the cast of LES MISERABLES, the Baldwin Wallace class of 2015, and the friends and family of Kyle. He was truly an amazing performer who will continue to have his name looked up to by performers and dreamers for years to come.

CAROUSEL

CAROUSEL

CAROUSEL

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