Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
KYLE JEAN-BAPTISTE, the first African-American and youngest person to ever play the role of Jean Valjean in “Les Misérables” on Broadway has died after falling from a fire escape, according to a show spokesman.
He was 21.
Jean-Baptiste died on Friday night following the show’s evening performance at the Imperial Theatre, said representative Marc Thibodeau, who called it a “tragic accident”.
“The entire ‘Les Misérables’ family is shocked and devastated by the sudden and tragic loss of Kyle, a remarkable young talent and tremendous person who made magic — and history — in his Broadway debut. We send our deepest condolences to his family and ask that you respect their privacy in this unimaginably difficult time,” a statement from the production reads.
The actor was an ensemble member of the company and an understudy for Valjean, going onstage as the ex-convict in a history-making appearance July 23. His last performance in the role was Thursday.
Tributes
The Broadway community took to Twitter to mourn the loss of a young talent.
“Shocked and saddened to have lost one of Broadway’s youngest treasures,” tweeted Tony Award-nominee Joshua Henry. Former “Glee” star Matthew Morrison, starring in “Finding Neverland,” called him “such a pure voice. Heartbreaking.”
Patina Miller, a Tony winner for “Pippin,” said: “My heart goes out to all who knew and loved this incredibly talented young man.”
A spokeswoman for the New York Police Department said investigators believe Jean-Baptiste’s death was accidental.
According to police, Jean-Baptiste was sitting on a fourth-floor fire escape of an apartment in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn with a 23-year-old woman on Friday night when he stood up, slipped and then fell backward to the ground.
The city’s medical examiner will determine his official cause of death, police said.
A spokeswoman for the medical examiner’s office did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment late yesterday.
Promising career
Jean-Baptiste was born in New York and graduated from Baldwin Wallace University.
The 6-foot-2-inch tenor had recently landed two musical roles at Playhouse Square in Cleveland — in “Murder Ballad” and “Love Story”.
He also had played Enjolras last year in a production of “Les Misérables” at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival.
After making stage history as the first black Valjean, he told Playbill:
“I did not immediately think of it as making history. This was my dream since I was a little boy. This incredible team of creatives presented an opportunity to play a part I have dreamed of playing since I was introduced to theatre, and I am forever grateful. I felt a huge amount of responsibility to do right by them and to honor this iconic material.”
In one of his last tweets, sent on Tuesday, Jean-Baptiste showed gratitude for his friends and fans: “I thank everyone who supported me and still does. I will never forget this experience. Onwards and upwards,” he wrote. “Nothing but love.”
The current “Les Misérables” on Broadway is the second revival of the hit show. It debuted in 1987 with Irish singer Colm Wilkinson in the role of Valjean and lasted until 2003.
A revival in 2006 lasted just a few years and the latest reimagined version landed on Broadway last year. In a few days, British opera star Alfie Boe is due to take over Valjean.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Parents only thinking of themseleves again never mind the damage to the child.
Can these parents try to be civilised for the sake of their daughter ? What the hell are they putting her through ?
@Catherine Sims: woeful for the child to experience that kidnapping. I pity the poor child with parents ( at least the dad) like that
Are we only getting a fraction of the story possibly? Where did they live? Is there for example a Norwegian Court ruling granting custody to the father but the Cypriot authorities were not helpful in enforcing it? More info would be helpful.
A domestic basically and the child is not in any danger! Talk about click bait!!! But what has the fact that the Turkish-Cypriot part of the country has no extradition agreement with any other country got to do with this story? The child was kidnapped from the Greek-Cypriot part and the in now in Norway!!! I know we are clever and can fill in the gaps for ourselves but that’s not journalism!
@Missyb211: so you’d be fine if two masked men took your child off you under the instructions of your ex and brought her to another country ? Pull the other one …
@Suzie Sunshine: Not the point is it Suzie. It’s a sensationalist headlines about CHILD KIDNAPPING when in actual fact it’s just a domestic!
have your say