 Sadler 's Wells closed for refurbishment at the end of its 1801 season and re @-@ opened on 19 April 1802 ; Grimaldi returned to take a major role in the Easter pantomime , for which he designed the look of his recurring Clown character " Joey " . He began by painting a white base over his face , neck and chest before adding red triangles on the cheeks , thick eyebrows and large red lips set in a mischievous grin . Grimaldi 's design is used by many modern clowns . According to Grimaldi 's biographer Andrew McConnell Stott , it was one of the most important theatrical designs of the 1800s . Later in 1802 , Dubois left the Sadler 's Wells company , making Grimaldi the sole resident Clown . Grimaldi starred in St. George , Champion of England opposite his friend Jack Bologna . This was followed by Ko and Zoa ; or , the Belle Savage . A critic from The Times remarked that the pair 's death scene together was " truely affecting " [ sic ] . Bologna and Grimaldi 's on @-@ stage partnership had by now become the most popular on the British stage ; the Morning Chronicle thought they " stood unrivalled " compared to other acts within the harlequinade . 
