Like many a single girl’s dream pad, Montego Glover’s Prospect Heights condo has a chic new kitchen with a dishwasher, a big bathroom with a soaking tub, a washer/dryer and, most important, multiple closets.
“Look, I finally have a coat closet!” Glover squeals, eagerly hanging up our jackets in the entry-hall closet. “And check out these cabinets!” she adds, showing off the kitchen’s sleek, tempered-glass cupboards.
It’s those little things that make this actress, currently starring in the Broadway musical “Memphis,” so excited about her new home. And there’s also the satisfaction of finding something in the right location.
“I really feel like I belong here,” says Glover, 35, who bought a 582-square-foot one-bedroom in a new 10-unit building on Washington Avenue this past June.
“I’d been living in a shared rental 12 blocks away. I knew I wanted to stay in this area. So, I picked up a copy of ‘Home Buying for Dummies’ and got a Brooklyn broker.”
After Glover purchased the condo, she donated all her old furniture (except for her mattress) to Partnership for the Homeless and started decorating her new home from scratch.
“This place dictates being contemporary,” Glover says of the space, whose loft-like vibe is enhanced by high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows. “It was time for me to grow up and grow out . . . my tastes have evolved.”
She opted for modern pieces from West Elm, IKEA and Pottery Barn, as well as a comfy Jennifer Convertibles gray sleeper sofa (“I call it my boyfriend,” she says) and a fluffy white area rug from Crate & Barrel. And she was finally able to coordinate a delivery time for a drop-leaf dining room table from Jensen-Lewis.
“I haven’t had much time lately,” says Glover, whose experience with “Memphis,” which opens at the Shubert Theatre on Oct. 19, has been equal parts grueling and rewarding. She’s been with the musical — the story of a young black singer who develops a relationship with a white deejay in highly segregated 1950s Memphis — since readings began in Massachusetts six years ago.
“I’ve seen the show grow and evolve, and I’ve grown along with it,” says the petite performer, whose Broadway credits include Celie and Nettie in “The Color Purple.” “‘Memphis’ highlights the things I do well . . . I feel like the role was almost written for me, for my voice.”
The actress also notes the parallels between her and her character, Felicia Farrell. “We’re both young and from Tennessee,” says Glover, who grew up in Chattanooga. “We’re definitely both ambitious.”
Though she’s very driven, Glover finds time to relax, too: “I just love to sit on the sofa and enjoy the quiet and some alone time. I just chill for a half-hour, maybe watch ‘The Office’ or ‘30 Rock.’ I’m also just six blocks from the [Brooklyn] Botanic Garden.”
Given that she’s only been in the condo 4½ months and works constantly, it looks remarkably put together. Still, Glover points out the blank, white walls, noting that she needs to go art shopping. And there’s a light in the bathroom that needs fixing.
“It can all be very overwhelming,” Glover says. “Thankfully, I have 30 years at a fixed rate to decorate.”
Montego Glover’s Favorite Things
* A black-and-white photo of herself (“It’s the first real portrait of me in a role I’ve created [Felicia Farrell]”)
* The glass tiles in her bathroom and kitchen backsplash
* A glass fish and sheesham wood horse from West Elm
* The rug and couch in the living room