Wanted: A modern-day jester. Wallflowers need not apply.

It’s no laughing matter.

An Austrian hotel is advertising for a modern-day court fool, who is communicative, extroverted, musical, creative and imaginative.

Applicants are asked to bring – and play — their musical instrument during the job interview. Also welcome: creative costumes. The successful candidate will earn 1,400 euros — around $1,900 — a month.

Hotel director Melanie Franke says those interested should not think they’re on a fool’s errand in applying. She says the idea is to treat guests like royalty, noting that “jesters were a luxury that royal families indulged themselves in.”

The hotel in Austria’s Styria province was designed by famed Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser and Franke says the jester concept fits its hotel’s colorful appearance.

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The court jester (or fool) was a well-documented historical occupation. Jesters entertained, rebuked and even satirized rulers in medieval times, and their modern counterparts still entertain at (mostly) medieval-themed events and Renn Faires. 

Jesters in medieval times were described as wearing brightly colored or outlandish clothes and hats and their modern counterparts usually mimic this motley costume. As performers, jesters used acrobatics, storytelling, juggling, music, and other skills to ease their employers boredom and entertain their audiences. 

The modern use of the word “jester” did not come into the English language until the mid-16th Century, during the Tudor period. Jesters were popular in Ancient Egypt, and entertained Egyptian pharaohs, and were also popular in 14th– 16th century Aztec culture.