Jaylin as Gaston in Beauty and the Beast

High School Musical

Recently, Jaylin had the opportunity to appear as Gaston in the high school musical production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. I may be slightly biased, but he did a fantastic job, especially considering it was his first time on the stage. Several people have said they wished he had done that sooner. I was impressed by his confidence on the stage, and he did not seem nervous about it at all. I know that he was nervous, especially before the first night, but it did not show.

As you might imagine, no photography or video was allowed during the show. But we could take photos in the lobby after the show, so I did.

Here are Cole as the Beast and Jaylin as Gaston. Mortal enemies on the stage, but great friends in real life. Cole also did a fantastic job as the Beast. One of the reasons Jaylin participated was because Cole kept urging him to do it. And afterward, Cole told us how much more fun it was having Jaylin in the play, too.

By the way, that thing hanging from Jaylin’s hair is his microphone. Gone are the days when we were there when you had to practically shout from the stage, especially to be heard over the orchestra or organist. Hooray for modern technology!

Also, Jaylin had dual roles in this play. He also got to do the opening narration, and he did a great job of that, too!

Our good friend Katie, who you have probably seen around here before, was the choreographer for the show. She could not actually be in the show due to some dance competition conflicts, but it was great that she still got to be involved. And her choreography was great!

Fortunately, family members were able to attend. That means that my parents got to be there on opening night to see the show. And of course, they were proud.

And here are the proud parents with their son the star. We got to be there for both performances, and they were both great.

Here is Jaylin with our friend Samantha from church. And a soccer ball. And an AED station. Pay no attention to those last two things. Jaylin and Sam have gone to school and church together from the very early days. I missed getting a straight-on photo of them together, so this will have to do.

A group photo of Jaylin and the “Silly Girls” who were always swooning over Gaston in the play.

On the second night of the play, Karen got to be there as well as Katie. And we were all in for a surprise. Before the show started, Katie came out onto the stage and gave the welcoming announcements. None of us knew she was going to do that, and she did a great job! And after the play when the cast was giving gifts to all those who helped, Jaylin was the one to give Katie her gift card. They really are like brother and sister sometimes.

Just a Peek

Even though we could not take photos or video of the show, the school photographer was able to take photos. So here is one of her photos, from when Gaston was doing his best to impress Belle. Jaylin, I mean Gaston, had the charm turned all the way up for this one. But of course it did not work. Thank you, Debra, for the photos!

In this scene, Gaston sings the song “Me” to Belle to try to persuade her to marry him. Jaylin got to sing one of my favorite lines ever:

I can see that we will share all that love implies
We shall be a perfect pair rather like my thighs

That makes me laugh every time. And for the second night, Laura convinced him to slap his thigh as he said it for more comic effect. It was great!

Thanks to Jennifer the director, Colby the conductor, all the cast and crew, and everyone who had a part in Beauty and the Beast. It was wonderful!

Bible Verse

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. - 1 Corinthians 12:4-6

About the Photos

All of the photos were taken with my iPhone, except obviously for the photo from the school photographer. She used her camera for that one. I did use Luminar AI to do some color correcting on the iPhone photos to make them look a little more normal and a little less yellow.

Photos: Each photo is an iPhone XR photo, processed in Luminar AI. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: iPhone XR
Date: April 16-17, 2021
Location: Harding Academy, Memphis, Tennessee