Barry "Grandma the Clown" Lubin hangs up wig (and red nose) after 25 seasons in the Big Apple Circus
Longtime funnyman will now entertain and delight children of all ages in Europe
Barry "Grandma the Clown" Lubin leaves the Big Apple Circus tent after his last performance Sunday By Lore Croghan / NEW YORK DAILY NEWSSunday, January 8 2012
A beloved clown who kept a generation of New Yorkers laughing made an emotional farewell appearance Sunday at the Big Apple Circus.
The crowd beneath the blue tent at Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park cheered for star clown Barry Lubin in his final city performance as Grandma the Clown.
Lubin, 59, is leaving after 25 seasons as Grandma, a lovable old lady in chalk-white makeup, a red dress and black sneakers — and a longtime fan fave.
He gave it his all in the ring, making the crowd erupt with laughter again and again. But he was feeling bittersweet about leaving New York.
“I love the audiences; they have been so generous,” he said from his backstage dressing room before the show began. “Last night, I tossed and turned a lot about this show, worrying I was going to fall apart.”
Under the big top, the crowd loved him, whether he was teaching a volunteer to spit water like a human fountain or running around dressed in a cow suit.
“I’m verklempt she’s leaving,” said real-life grandma Beth Segal Sussman, 62, of Flushing, Queens — who brought 10 family members to see Lubin.
At intermission, a receiving line formed in the aisle after the clown slipped into a seat.
“She always makes time for the kids and parents — she puts the audience first,” Sheila Santiago, 42, of Murray Hill, said of Grandma.
Lubin — who grew up near Atlantic City and created his clown character based on his own two grannies — will head to Europe for appearances as Grandma this spring and summer in festivals in Germany, Austria, Belgium and Holland. He’ll live in a suburb of Stockholm with his girlfriend. In August, he’ll become a shipboard professor with the University of Virginia’s Semester at Sea.
After a standing ovation with bouquets tossed to him from the audience, Lubin blew kisses and left the ring.
“It was very sweet,” he said when it was over. “I spent the entire show trying not to cry.”Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/barry-grandma-clown-lubin-hangs-wig-red-nose-25-seasons-big-apple-circus-article-1.1003129#ixzz1j3YLj5J9
A beloved clown who kept a generation of New Yorkers laughing made an emotional farewell appearance Sunday at the Big Apple Circus.
The crowd beneath the blue tent at Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park cheered for star clown Barry Lubin in his final city performance as Grandma the Clown.
Lubin, 59, is leaving after 25 seasons as Grandma, a lovable old lady in chalk-white makeup, a red dress and black sneakers — and a longtime fan fave.
He gave it his all in the ring, making the crowd erupt with laughter again and again. But he was feeling bittersweet about leaving New York.
“I love the audiences; they have been so generous,” he said from his backstage dressing room before the show began. “Last night, I tossed and turned a lot about this show, worrying I was going to fall apart.”
Under the big top, the crowd loved him, whether he was teaching a volunteer to spit water like a human fountain or running around dressed in a cow suit.
“I’m verklempt she’s leaving,” said real-life grandma Beth Segal Sussman, 62, of Flushing, Queens — who brought 10 family members to see Lubin.
At intermission, a receiving line formed in the aisle after the clown slipped into a seat.
“She always makes time for the kids and parents — she puts the audience first,” Sheila Santiago, 42, of Murray Hill, said of Grandma.
Lubin — who grew up near Atlantic City and created his clown character based on his own two grannies — will head to Europe for appearances as Grandma this spring and summer in festivals in Germany, Austria, Belgium and Holland. He’ll live in a suburb of Stockholm with his girlfriend. In August, he’ll become a shipboard professor with the University of Virginia’s Semester at Sea.
After a standing ovation with bouquets tossed to him from the audience, Lubin blew kisses and left the ring.
“It was very sweet,” he said when it was over. “I spent the entire show trying not to cry.”Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/barry-grandma-clown-lubin-hangs-wig-red-nose-25-seasons-big-apple-circus-article-1.1003129#ixzz1j3YLj5J9
No comments:
Post a Comment