Big Apple Circus summons kooky clown for big return

BUBBE IS BACK!

After half a decade away from the bigtop, Grandma the Clown is returning to the Big Apple Circus.

Barry Lubin, decked out in Grandma’s signature white wig (purchased on 14th St.), red “schmatte” (sewn by his ex-wife) and yellow tights, said that bringing back his Big Apple shtick has tuned him into a “blubbering transvestite.”

For the past five years, Lubin was clowning around the world, with stops in China, Russia, Sweden and even “for penguins” in Antarctica.

Meanwhile, the Big Apple Circus weathered some changes of its own.

In February, a judge approved a deal that saved the bankrupt circus by allowing its sale to Big Top Works, an affiliate of Compass Partners LLC, which previously won a bid at auction for the circus with a $1.3 million offer.

Lubin is hopeful for what this new company can bring to the craft he’s turned into a lifelong career.

“The idea, I believe, is to reemerge in the market as the Big Apple Circus that is loved by so many, but to take it a step further — into the future.”

One of the first orders of business for the new management firm: bringing back Grandma, Lubin says. The show wouldn’t be the same without her 42 years of experience.

“They approached me several months ago, before the sale had taken place and said, ‘We would love to have you for the 40th anniversary,’ and I said, ‘I’m all ears,’ ” he told the Daily News. “I do actually have pretty big ears.”

The classic character is returning to the center ring when the circus comes to Lincoln Center in October, and Grandma may even have a few new tricks: Get ready for the swimsuit number.

“I believe the only other thing that I might wear in the next Big Apple Circus show is a Grandma bathing suit,” Lubin says. “But it’s not risqué.”

Lubin said his much-loved trick, in which he eats popcorn off people’s heads, is still in the act: “I will for sure be doing that because for some reason, those kinds of things are timeless,” he said.

And the clown’s got more new stuff, although Lubin won’t tip his hand.

“I have a repertoire, which I’m sure we’ll draw from, he said. “But we’re also going to be trying new material and doing our best to advance the art.

“I think that’s the entire philosophy of the new Big Apple Circus — you don’t want to remain complacent and you have to keep the audience interested,” he says.

“What I’m looking forward to most is rejoining, revisiting and finding that audience again in New York,” he said. “This is, to me, the center of the universe and just to be able to revisit that it means a lot to me.”

He added, “You can play Antarctica, but there’s nothing like playing New York.”