Madame de la Grande Bouche is a major character in the musical adapation of Beauty and the Beast, based on the unammed Wardrobe character from the 1991 animated film.
Background[]
In the stage musical adaptation, her role is expanded and uses the backstory first introduced in Marvel Comics. When she tries to lend Belle the gown she wore that night, the young woman thanks her but doesn't accept the gift, as she does not plan to dine with the Beast, despite his orders. Madame de la Grande Bouche calls her silly, which makes Belle's temper rise. The girl yells at her, but apologises no sooner. Like in the movie, Mrs. Potts and the Wardrobe comfort Belle over losing her freedom and her father.
When the Beast storms into Belle's room, Madame de la Grande Bouche (along with Mrs. Potts, Cogsworth, and Lumiere) try to calm him down and encourages him to ask her politely. When the prisoner refuses, however, he throws a tantrum and forbids her from eating anything. The Beast watches through his handheld Enchanted Mirror as the Wardrobe tries to convince Belle that, despite his temper and gruff attitude, he isn't that bad and to give him a chance. However, the girl refuses. Not much later, Belle admits to Madame de la Grande Bouche that she is hungry. The opera singer kindly volunteers to ring for Mrs. Potts and sing an aria while they wait. However, Belle says she wants to herself, leaving the Wardrobe worrying about what will happen if the Beast finds out she has disobeyed his orders. She joins the other enchanted objects in singing "Be Our Guest" to cheer Belle up.
In Act II, Madame Bouche sings a solo in "Human Again", revealing she wants to resume taking care of her appearance and to regain her former weight. It is assumed she dresses Belle up for her dinner with the Beast. When the mob of villagers breaks into the castle, she helps to scar them away, particularly defeating LeFou with a high note. When the spell is broken, she is restored to her human form and appears wearing her Royal Opera gown. Cogsworth courts her while revealing himself to be an admirer of the opera diva as he listens to her boasting about her performance in the Royal Opera. In her final appearance (apart from the Curtain Call), Madame de la Grande Bouche sings a reprise of "Beauty and the Beast" as she watches Belle dance with the Prince.
