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Learning to clown around
Brett Alters. Californian. Studied musical theater at Tisch, saw Cirque du Soleil, loved improv, got hooked, “auditioned in my 20s, got accepted and as the son of a psychiatrist, whatever he did came to mind.
“Maybe that’s why I became a clown. Now in my 40s I’m ringmaster of the 48th season of the Big Apple Circus.
“The lifestyle? Double-wide trailer with two slide-outs. Positioned between the Met and NYC Ballet. The heart of Lincoln Center and plenty of good restaurants. Can be a dream but there’s tons of sacrifices. I don’t have to find a grocery store. We have families and must negotiate that. There’s disagreements. You come together. Works well but it’s not perfect. Also, we’re all together like a family. Any disfunction you come together. We’re like MIT in a way. Everybody’s a genius at their skill.
“I work with some of the strongest people in the world. And it’s a lot. Three shows a day. Wake up time 4 a.m. to do press, sleeping in a trailer, there are some barriers — but we love it.
“Hey, there’s days it’s a bit of a slog — and even if our popcorn’s pretty good I wouldn’t want to eat it every day.”
Besides looking good and being a high-class MC, what’s a ringmaster do?
“My job is to host the show, explain who the audience is seeing and control the flow of the show. Something goes wrong, there’s always that adage ‘Send in the clowns.’ Ours is a well-oiled machine. My goal is not to start arguments because each kid can say, ‘My dad’s the strongest in the world’ — and might really be! I mean, a trapeze star doing quadruple somersaults beats me. My musculature doesn’t usually exceed that of a trapeze star. Also putting on a costume early in the morning after a cold night’s sleep is not always a thrill. So we avoid stuff like that.”
Oh, my God, you sound like a great husband.
“Not so sure. Last night I got to sleep 11:45 p.m. — and up 4 a.m. for press.”
I took back my temporary marital offer.
Burn-ing bridge
WHAT they’re saying: Christine Baranski said that Ken Burns once told her: “When I was working on 1981’s ‘Brooklyn Bridge’ I went to visit Arthur Miller, who said, ‘I don’t know a damn thing about the Brooklyn Bridge.’ My only thinking was, ‘Do something and make it beautiful.’ That’s all I know.”
Winning screens tapped
CBS’s 28th “Family Film and TV Awards” will air Saturday, Dec. 13, and be hosted by Julie Chen Moonves. She’s great, was a great TV star, then retired and is now unretiring. After 50 seasons, “Survivor” host Jeff Probst will receive the TV Icon Award.
Also nominated: “Superman,” “The Simpsons,” “Dancing With the Stars,” “Big Brother,” “The Price is Right.” It’s movies, TV, fave game shows, fave competition shows. Plus an award for fave iconic family film: “Home Alone,” “The Karate Kid” or “ET.”
Favorite actor in a movie could be Adam Sandler, “Happy Gilmore 2,” Helena Zengel, “The Legend of Ochi,” Jamie Lee Curtis, “Freakier Friday” and Liam Neeson, “The Naked Gun.” And, probably, a partridge in a pear tree.
AND overheard in Midtown, a husband saying: “Darling. Good news. We don’t have to move to a more expensive apartment. The building just raised our rent.”
Only in New York, kids, only in New York.