No, thats not the title of a screwball Disney film starring Ruth Gordon. Our own 2007 Felix B. Adler Award winner of the 1st ever Lou Jacobs Lifetime Achievement Award, Mr. Barry "Grandma" Lubin, has been invited to perform in the 2008 Festival International du Cirque de Monte-Carlo!!!
A richly deserved honor for a truly great clown.
Barry became my hero the very first time I watched him work in 1996 and has impressed me more and more as the years go by.
And he need not worry how "Grandma" is doing here at home while he is away performing in Germany with Circus Krone. My family and I saw Big Apple at their closing show in Somerset, NJ yesterday afternoon and Grandma is in excellent hands, currently being performed by the very funny Matthew Pauli.
Matthew is particularly funny when he is improvising and gets a certain twinkle in his eye that tells you that he is having the time of his life working with straightman Joel Jeske.
Joel is doing an incredible job as host and foil to not only Grandma but Francesco (actually Francesco's son stepping in for Francesco while he attends to a medical issue from which we all hope he quickly recovers in time to rejoin the tour), Justin Case (rumored to be headed to the Ringling Gold Unit) and Johnny Peers who pulled out all the stops and displayed the high level of showmanship that makes it abundantly clear that he is unquestionably a world-class circus clown in addition to being an absolutely amazing dog trainer.
We enjoyed the show immensely and once again thank our host, Mr. Don Covington for the type of idyllic afternoon that really makes life worth living.
I'm off this week to South Carolina to perform a new comedy Ringmaster character for the Hamid Shrine Circus, so if you live in or around Greenwood, Anderson or Greenville please stop by and say "Hi"!
I love the new look of your website! I have turned all of my clown alley onto your fabulous site. It represents everything I love about clowning, especially the "behind the alley curtain" scuttlebut.
ReplyDeleteI am the President of the local COAI alley in Baltimore and am a collector of cirus/clown memorabilia. Are you going to be performing in the Baltimore or Harrisburg area in the next couple of months?
Keith Karas, Bobalouie the Clown
President, Free State Clown Alley
I'm glad that you're enjoying the blog!
ReplyDeleteI should be in the Baltimore area this summer but it will as a circus camp teacher. It would be great if you could get your Alley out to see the public show and hang out afterwards.
~Pat
Dear Pat,
ReplyDeleteThat sounds great. Will publicize this to the Alley during our April meeting.
Do you have the dates/times you will be in Baltimore? And is this circus camp class already full? I may have some Alley members who would interested in attending as participants. Contact person?
It's time I told you that I saw Grandma in Munich and thought she was brilliant. The running machine routine is superb, and the other material has a great charm as presented by Barry Lubin, even if some of it isn't exactly original.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, I was able to chat with Mr. Lubin for a while after the show - and regretted that I had an early flight the next morning, as I have a feeling we could have talked all night long.
Monte Carlo is notoriously difficult for clowns, but he should do well there.
John.
Pat: Those pictures of Lou brought tears to my eyes...absolutely wonderful, which would also be a very apt description of your blog. Man!
ReplyDeleteare we going to have alot to talk about in Wilkes-Barre.
Until then all best from Diane and me, Paul Gutheil
PS Good Grief! Almost forgot,
copious congratulations on the Monmouth College deal; keep us informed we want to be there!! P.