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November 2001 Issue

He Can't Stop Clowning Around: A Profile of David Solove

By Nicole Eaton

Reproduced with permission from The Jewish Advocate.

Not everyone dons bright colors, stage make-up, and purple hair just to go to work. But that's exactly what David Solove, "Boss Clown," at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus does almost every day of the year.

When the circus comes to town, it comes complete with acrobats, tigers, elephants, trapeze artists, and yes, clowns. It's not a typical work environment and that's what Solove loves most about his job. "I get to perform in clown virtually everyday of my life. Which means I get to go in front of literally thousands of people everyday and bring them joy. You get to make them laugh and smile. That's immensely rewarding, you know, a chance to give."

Only 5' 3", the Cleveland-born Solove, 35, uses his height to enhance his natural child-like qualities. He describes himself as "the cute clown, flirtatious yet shy." But as he explains, it's more than the make-up that makes the clown: "At the core of all of it is me. A lot of people think the clown make-up is a mask and it's completely the opposite. It's more of an enhancement. It shouldn't hide any expression, but enlarge them. So we all tap very much into who we are. I don't put on a character so much as I emphasize and magnify elements of myself."

As a clown in "The Greatest Show on Earth," Solove is busy throughout the entire show, performing various clown "gag" routines as well as performing in all the big production numbers. A show highlight for Solove is the "Three Ring Adventure," where an hour before the show the audience is invited to meet some of the human and animal circus performers.

Although he spends most of his working day performing gags, Solove's job isn't all clowning around. "I'm the Boss Clown. I kind of look after all the other clowns and make sure they're doing what they're supposed to be doing. Goofing off when they're supposed to."

A huge Muppets fan, he adds "My motto in life now is ‘WWKD--what would Kermit do.' I feel very much as Boss Clown that I'm in Kermit's place. I'm surrounded by a group of unusual, eccentric goofy characters and it's my job to try and reign them in, focus them, and join them when necessary, and I very much see that's the same role Kermit had with all the Muppets. So instead of just admiring them I think I've become one of them."

As much as he loves his job, Solove didn't grow up wanting to be a clown. Since childhood he wanted to be a performer, starting out in puppet shows, inspired by his old friends the Muppets. A theater major at Syracuse University, Solove had ambitions of being an actor. But he decided to try an eight-week special program where he would learn all the basics of clowning.

"So when I heard about Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, I wasn't thinking about being a clown. I thought I could learn some good skills for children's theater. I had never seen Ringling Bros., had never thought about being a clown. As I researched it and I got into the college, I fell in love with it and knew that I had found what I was supposed to be doing."

Solove feels that a large part of who he is as a person, and as a clown, is due to his religion. "Very much of who I am is from growing up Jewish. It comes from getting together with my family for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and the laughter. It's very much where my sense of humor and my outlook on life comes from. It's all very much part of the clown I've become." Solove has so much fun on the job that he keeps a web site chronicling his travels and adventures under the big top. His road diaries can be seen at www.ontheroadwithdavid.com.

How many clowns does it take to fill a clown car? According to Solove, it's 12. That's just one of the many clown acts highlighted throughout the show. With David Solove on task as "Boss Clown," it's a great time to bring in the clowns!

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