The Wardrobe opens up

“I was a parents’ nightmare when I came home and said I was moving to New York City to feed my passion of being an actor.”

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Kelly Teal Goyette (center), who plays Madame de la Grande Bouche, in “Beauty and the Beast,” gets ready with other cast members.

The Wardrobe actress in the Disney classic “Beauty and the Beast” Broadway performance is preparing to take the stage Tuesday at the Keith Albee Performing Arts Center.

Kelly Teal Goyette plays Madame de la Grande Bouche, who is commonly known as the Wardrobe.

The Wardrobe costume weighs up to 40 pounds, but Goyette said she is used to the weight.

“You know, I’ve worn it for so long when people are shocked by how much it weighs sometimes I forget I should be shocked too,” Goyette said. “I’ve had it on nearly every day since August, so I have just gotten used to weighing 40 pounds more than I usually do, which is not something a girl wants to say.”

Goyette said her passion for the stage began in third grade when she wanted an excuse to get out of class. Her career took off when she dropped everything to pursue her passion during college.

“I went to a college right near my hometown in Vermont,” Goyette said. “And one day in my first semester I woke up and realized this wasn’t what I wanted. I was a parents’ nightmare when I came home and said I was moving to New York City to feed my passion of being an actor.”

Goyette had a list of advice for aspiring actors and it mainly centered the theme of perseverance.

“I’ve seen a lot of my friends leave the city just because they didn’t wait for their break long enough,” Goyette said. “New York can be frustrating because you’re standing in Times Square or on Broadway surrounded by your dream and you’re dressed in a white turtleneck and white sweatpants playing the role of Amelia Bedilia out of a creepy van, or at least that’s what happened to me. Waiting is key,”

Goyette said although she may not always play the Wardrobe, she wants to keep doing this forever.

“I can taste my dream,” Goyette said. “I’d love to be Ursula in ‘The Little Mermaid,’ or get a lead role in ‘Les Miserables’ because they are very much like the Wardrobe type characters, which is where I’m finding a true passion now.”

The production starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be picked up at the Joan C. Edwards Playhouse box office.

Kaitlyn Clay can be contacted at [email protected].