I never understood this song, never got why so many people liked it. But I'd always heard the pop ballad versions of it. Then, one day, I heard Glynis Johns' version. And now, I get it.

72 years old male, every time I hear this I cry !

He said, in an interview, "I wrote it for her voice, because she couldn't sustain notes. Wasn't that kind of singing voice. So I knew I had to write things in short phrases, and that led to questions, and so again, I wouldn't have written a song so quickly if I hadn't known the actress. I wrote most of it one night and finished part of the second chorus, and I'd gotten the ending. The whole thing was done in two days."

To quote Sondheim: "I've heard it sung since by many fine singers (I'm happy to say), but to me her version is still the most satisfying." And I AGREE

Glynis isn't a singer but she carries this song better than anyone else who has covered it since. A great actress who knows how to convey emotion.

Brilliant. Many sing this as a lament, I like how she sings with a touch of anger and even spite, along with regret and sadness. I think that is very true to the lyric. A wonderfully complex and moving performance.

@mefi9788

8 жыл бұрын

I agree. She holds onto the anger and then at the end, she's defeated and can't hold onto it anymore.

She is the only one I have seen who sang this song with a sense of surprise that the situation that she finds herself in. It's not just heartache. What you see is her ego being shattered.

she is the perfect example of singing in character. It doesn't really matter if you have an amazing voice. You just have to act and then you'll get a real deep reaction from the audience

what's wrong with audience? cannot believe people didn't jump to their feet, screaming their approval. one of the most moving moments in musical theatre performed just as it should be. bravo!!!!

I absolutely love Glynis Johns' voice... it's strange, but has so much colour and depth. What a lovely recreation of this famous scene.

No one will ever come up to the anger/emotion of the vocal of Glynnis Johns. Many think that this song is s soaring love ballad as done by Judy Collins. It isn't. If you know the song in the context of the song it's a a very angry, hurt song. Desiree is lamenting the fact that she has made a fool of herself, and sadly laughing at the fact that she and Frederick are fools. It's amazing, because it happens so much in real life. Glynnis and Len were so incredible together as old lovers coming back together. Amazing!

Her voice has such a beautiful colour to it. I feel melancholy, and happyness.

It is clear why Glynis Johns was the first to sing this song, and why she remains Sondheim's favorite singer of it. (but Dame Judi is a pretty damn close second! :) )

Can you imagine, watching this, that Len Cariou (who is so sweet and tender here as Frederik) also played Sweeney Todd? Glynis Johns delivers a beautiful performance, really capturing the stage (and our attention) as Desiree. I love how she looks to her left when she sings "Where are the clowns? Quick, send in the clowns," as if she is giving a stage direction that no one attends to. These two fine actors are so beautifully paired in this performance.

I was a guide in a stately home in the mid 70's age 16 and was told at the end of the afternoon that Glynis Johns had been through that day and I remembered talking to a very kind and lovely lady and realised with hindsight that it was GJ - beautiful performance.

Soundheim wrote this with her in mind. I had the privilege of seeing her perform this in A Little Night Music on Broadway and although there are many wonderful versions, this song will always belong to Glynis Johns.

@claudeIsbell

9 жыл бұрын

354ever What did he say, he'd rather have an actor who sings than a singer who acts.

@354ever

7 жыл бұрын

I never heard that. That's great.

@satnitcboy

7 жыл бұрын

I think he probably said he'd rather have an actor who sings a little than a singer who acts a little.

First heard the Judy Collins' hit version in the mid 70s. I remember it sounded very haunting and sad. Then later I learned about the Soundheim play and the wonderful actress Glynis John, the song became more meaningful and profound. You just dont listen to it strictly for pleasure but for thinking about the foolishness and mistakes made in our lives. Lovely.

A terribly touching ballad...incidentally, according to Sondheim: "Send in the Clowns' was never meant to be a soaring ballad; it's a song of regret, it's a song of a lady who is too upset and angry to speak (meaning to sing for a very long time). She is furious, but she doesn't want to make a scene in front of Fredrik, she recognizes his obsession with his 18-year-old wife is unbreakable. So she gives up; so it's a song of regret and anger, and therefore fits in with short-breathed phrases"

My absolute favorite version of this song, I can watch it over and over again.

When you see this wonderful scene, the song makes perfect sense. Taken out of contect as a stand-alone piece, it can be interpreted in many different ways. So marveloius to see such a wonderful actress recreate this moment for us.

Some of the greatest performers in history had a magic that you had to see in person. People like Al Jolson, Gertrude Lawrence, Fanny Brice-- on record, they leave us scratching our heads, but to have seen them in person is to have understood and have been enchanted forever.

Truly wonderful. I was mesmerised between 1.42 and 1.51 when she depicts emotion so brilliantly - anger, through sorrow to dejection. This is how musical theatre is meant to be; sincere and superbly acted.

I have thought of Len as a character actor, here I see he was a great great musical star. I had been a fan of Glynis for ages. I am 85 myself, Did not know she has starred in this on Broadway. So two remarkable experiences for me. Bravo, Len. A truly remarkable man.

her reading of "in my career" is maybe the most emotional singing moment i've ever heard...

I first saw Glynnis sing this on Parkinson, it was heart-stopping, and nothing else could ever top it. It had to be repeated a few weeks later. I wish someone had that clip.

A great lady of British theatre and films, the definitive version of this song not for the voice but for getting the sentiment absolutely right.

@strooomon

8 жыл бұрын

+Karim Al Hassani She truly is amazing. Whether it be the joyful mischief of Sister Suffragette or the purveying sadness of Send In The Clowns, Glynis Johns always nails it. A world wide treasure.

I love this song. I love this show. I love this composer (figuratively, that is). I love his work. Finally, I have loved Glynis Johns for decades, ever since I realized how, with a short haircut, her sweet but feisty and perky manner, her voice, and her looks made her a dead-ringer for my first true love, Betsy, who died in her 20s. Go, ye Broadway gals! Go, Stephen Sondheim! Onward and upward with Stage and Screen! Sincerely, MusicGuy.

Absolutely marvelous. It hit me. Hard. You're right, that IS how it is done.

So interesting. The only performer I've encountered who injects an element of bitterness into this compelling life's tale, & only later the regret.

Very true. Glynis Johns gave the definitive performance for this song.

A little night music, was a flop in Australia and to this day I don't understand why. It remains in my memory as one of the finest stage musicals I ever saw. Thank you so much for this clip.

"they're ought to be clowns..." i broke in tears! lol i love this song!!!!

I've always loved GJ's version (being the original, of course, as it WAS tailor-made for her) but oh wow! I'd never seen the second part of this clip - I'd only ever heard her do the first half as a complete song in itself - but seeing/hearing it all as a whole - yes indeed, true magic - thank you so much for sharing! :)

I have watched most on youtube and Glynis Johns does such a fantastic realistic job!

So beautiful.

I really want to say a heartfelt thank you so much for sharing this with me. How can anyone not love it? I bow my head in respect for Sondheim, and sincerely agree that Glynis Johns feels this song. Please, please, keep this song in here.

Beautiful.............so emotional.

I wish I could find her performance of this song on "Parkinson" around 1975, but this is a fine version indeed. World-weary, drenched with emotion .......... this is really good. For those who love this song, check out Judy Collins' version.

Is this the woman who played Mrs. Banks in Mary Poppins?? Is SHE the one this song was written for??? :D

I saw Bernadette do this last night -- It was so heartbreaking. You could see that her Desiree was finally glimpsing her own foolishness and faded youth. But strangely enough, it just didn't do what Glynis's did. I come back to this video and discover something new every time. As a previous commenter so perfectly put, she is "bemused by the absurd irony of it all." This is still, to me, the definitive version. Still, I adored Peters.

All right, Lansbury and LuPone - I love you both, but you will never top the original - the best - Desiree.

love this video , I remember Glynis Johns from some great movies of the 50's such as the Court Jester , the mermaid movies and some disney movies when I was a child she was a beauty with an unusual voice and still is as you can see from this video

classic. Sondheim wrote this song especially for her, and im sorry Dench's version is amazing, but no one will do it like Glynis

10-5-2009. Gettin' her kicks at 86. Happy Birthday, Glynis.

Great chemistry between those two and her last verse of CLOWNS was quietly tragic. It's clear why she won the tony for this role. Also, as drab as the movie version was, it still would have been better with Cariou and Johns reunited.

By this time of life, she should be honored by the state: Dame Glynis Johns.

I've seen this video many times and I still love it.

Pure thertre loved this

Glynis Johns had a varied career, a great performer. Wish they would show some of her other films including `Miranda`

if it's even possible, she sounds even better here than on the original cast recording

heartbreaking and spellbinding! brava, miss johns!

oh.... so exquisitely painfully tearing at my heart. it hurts, brings tears flowing down - but maybe it helps me to heal. Yes, we are the clowns. of lost opportunity . thank you so very much for posting. love, respect, robbie xx

I was 8 years old, stuck at home with the Chicken Pox, and the local UHF station ran "Mad About Men" as the afternoon movie. I was lovestruck, and never recovered. (Please God, don't let my wife find out!)

The definitive interpretation.

First time I've seen this and I have to say probably the best version of this most magnificent song in my opinion.

Glynnis Johns, such a pro; and a decidedly sensual actress in her day!

I fell in love with her when I saw The Court Jester, that voice just melted all my reserve. I would given anything to have been in Danny Kaye's shoes.

This is lovely, If you want to witness magic in the making try to see the version which Glynis performed on the Michael Parkinson show in the seventies. Ive never heard better.

The original and the best, Sondheim wrote it for her. It's all about performance, not purity of voice, if you want that listen to Judy Collins version.

Fantastic. Rather than appear shattered and heartbroken, Glynis's "Send in the Clowns" is more along the lines of "Wow... look how foolish we both are. I'd be laughing right now if I wasn't trying so hard to not cry in front of you." Fantastic. Not the most heart-wrenching version, but definitely the "most Desiree," followed by Glenn Close's rendition.

This song was written especially for her by Sondheim to accommodate her vocal range. Beautiful rendition of the song.

Maybe it never occurred to people, but, y'know, you can like many versions of this song without feeling for one minute that you have to pick the best one. The best? For whom? A beautiful song like "Send in the Clowns" (overplayed as it was) with such elliptical, ironic lyrics deserves many interpretations. Judy Dench, Sarah Vaughan, Judy Collins, everyone has sung it.

This is a magical scene...great actors...you have to know how to act to put over a Sondheim song.

No, when we say "Sondheim wrote the song for Glynis Johns," we mean that Sondheim actually wrote the song during the rehearsal period for the original production, in which Glynis Johns was playing the part.

I saw Glynis Johns and Len Cariou in the original version of "A Little Night Music". I heard thru the not-so-certain grape vine that the song was written for Johns who can't sing. Notice the 4 constantly repeated notes! Johns pulled it off as a lament and Cariou made it sound like a confession but his version wasn't as moving as her sing/talk!

Now I'm going to have to go dry my eyes...

Amazing!

Sondheim said this version was his personal favorite. I think it's to his credit as a songwriter that he can compose so effectively for someone who (obviously) can't sing.

Simply the best of the best, "Does it hurt?" SEND IN THE CLOWNS!!!

Glynis' version of the song is Sondheim's favorite.

She's so marvelous.

Years ago in a tv interview Glynis Johns said that Sondheim wrote a song especially for a non-singer like her. But she puts Lansbury out of the running. Breaks the heart.

I cannot agree with anyone more so than 6funswede. I really only know Glynis Johns from Mary Poppins but I was aware that she once performed on A Little Night Music. I know that people will never really praise Johns for her singing talent but this is real, raw and truly heartfelt. Truly magnificent. As 6funswede says please please please keep this on here.

This is the best version of the song and the show.xxoo

Her performance of the final verse is simply terribly moving. The ineffably lovely Glynis Johns!

Thank you for putting this back up - it's superb.

I TOO REMEMBER THAT PERFORMANCE, AND HAVE NEVER FORGOTTEN IT.WHAT A BRILLIANT WOMAN.

A special Wonderful moment around the 3.08 mark ,such emotion,very moving,a lovely piece of Theatre.

Glynis Johns' voice texture reminds me of Edith Piaf's haha so beautiful

The "clowns" in the title do not refer to circus clowns. Instead, they symbolize fools, as Sondheim explained in a 1990 interview: I get a lot of letters over the years asking what the title means and what the song's about; I never thought it would be in any way esoteric. I wanted to use theatrical imagery in the song, because she's an actress, but it's not supposed to be a circus [...] [I]t's a theater reference meaning "if the show isn't going well, let's send in the clowns"; in other words, "let's do the jokes." I always want to know, when I'm writing a song, what the end is going to be, so "Send in the Clowns" didn't settle in until I got the notion, "Don't bother, they're here", which means that "We are the fools."[2] In a 2008 interview, Sondheim further clarified: As I think of it now, the song could have been called "Send in the Fools". I knew I was writing a song in which Desirée is saying, "aren't we foolish" or "aren't we fools?" Well, a synonym for fools is clowns, but "Send in the Fools" doesn't have the same ring to it.[3] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Send_in_the_Clowns

Yes. She did play Mrs. Banks. More recently she played in the movie, While You Were Sleeping, with Sandra Bullock

She will always be Miranda to me . . . the mermaid.

truly the best recording ever of this song

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

i remember "discovering" this song in one of my grandfather's old record collections about 15 years ago. i just knew i had stumbled on something! imagine my surprise when i discovered a few years later that it was a hugely successful standard. silly me.

@BMeister22 She's living in a retirement community in Los Angeles or somewhere around there... she was at one of the Mary Poppins celebrations not too long ago... and I think she might have done a video greeting or voiceover for a Sondheim celebration a year or two ago.

A wonderful actress with a very emotional rendition

Actually, she hasn't been rejected as much as she has thinks he will always love his new young wife, that she long ago missed her opportunity to be with him. She's not angry or sad but bemused at the absurd irony of it all. He returns after an intervening scene in the script (skipped here) in which the young wife runs off with his son, humiliating him. They end the song together, two old fools, who finally have the chance of a life together, with both wanting the same thing at the same time.

Beautiful interpretation!

brilliant...wonderful

I have this video...this clip cuts it off, but the audience DOES jump to their feet. In fact Tom Bosley (the host) tells Glynis and Len to come back out of wings for a second standing ovation.

She's in two mermaid movies on Netflix. First one is Miranda, second is Mad about Men (or something close). So fun to see her in fins!

Sondheim's best show ever....brilliant!!

@mondragon99, Thank you! I caught Zeta-Jones on this year's Tony Awards show and was appalled. And then they handed the Tony!

i absolutely adore her!!!!

I rmember seeing her singing in her latter years on UK tv same song but all the more poignant and f..ing brilliant

brilliant !!!!!

So true! I didn't know she maintained a career in later life. That's great.

magnificent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A great duo singing a touching song. Did you recognize the male, Len Cariou who is now seen as the retired NYC police commissioner and father to the current commissioner Tom Sellick on CBS in Blue Bloods?

@karenlorentz5048

8 жыл бұрын

+James Teske , and the original Sweeney Todd...the best Sweeney Todd.