Judi Dench - The Definitive "Send In The Clowns" - South Bank Show 1995
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- Dame Judi Dench is featured on the South Bank Show in 1995, which centered around her appearance in the revival of "A Little Night Music". The profile ends with this performance of "Send In The Clowns" - pure magic.
I've seen many people sing this song. That's all they do, just sing it, hit the notes at all the right places. Judi Dench lives this piece. It's not just about the music. It's about a conflicted woman whose heart is breaking. This is how musical theatre should be done.
Dame Judi is an international treasure!
Dame Judy had a TV show in England.
I live in America. Donna Summer is an international treasure.
I'm sure Steve Sondheim was grateful for your tip, you know, how musical theatre should be done. He was often so clueless about such things.
@@JackMason-oq8lf
"I remember seeing Judi Dench do 'Send in the Clowns' and I thought: I had never heard that song before.
"It moved me in a way I've never been moved with that song before."
- Stephen Sondheim
I have never understood why people made such a big deal about this song. Turns out I hadn't heard the right person sing it. Holy mackerel.
ohsnapiam59 I had exactly the same reaction! Always thought it was a beautiful piece musically - sort of "got" it, but not really - until this performance.
+gray skies Listen to Streisands version
Patrick Sala I've heard it...my original comment still stands. But to each his own.
+Patrick Sala , noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
Also, the prelude really sets up the song. She had thought he was finally coming to her and instead he was knocking her to the curb for good. You already feel like a jerk, might as well send in the clowns.
I saw this production at the National Theatre in London in 1995. I wrote to Judi, to thank her for a stunningly moving performance. She kindly wrote back to me. The letter I still have, written in her own hand. I shall never forget that performance or her kindness.
How wonderful--thank you for sharing. :)
Sondheim said of Judi Dench, "I remember seeing Judi Dench do Send in the Clowns and I thought: I had never heard that
song before. It moved me in a way it never moved me before." He is completely right. I always thought this was an over covered song that everyone knew. This took it to another level though. This would go into my top theatre moments of all time. It's just so emotionally shattering. From the minute mark on, I'm usually crying.
I wonder if it had to do with Judi being an actor first, singer second because it’s not a pretty song when sung by her, it’s a very grounded human who is feeling EVERYTHING while singing and maybe that’s why is feels/sounds different. Because Dench wouldn’t care about the melody if the emotion behind it wasn’t genuine and genuine feelings are messy and ugly. I think it’s why this pair works so well because Sondheim’s musicals weren’t pretty either. They were real and they were grounded. 🌟 it’s the best version hands down
It is a song that was ment to be lived by the performer ... and Dame Judi Dench "lived" every word and every phrase !!!
The Definitive performance of Send in the Clowns. Every single syllable is packed with meaning. An absolute masterclass in musical theatre performance.
Pret y lado Pacífico overtures
You have said it all. Pure magic
I could not have said it better. What an actress... I'm floored!
One night in 1995 I had fallen asleep on the sofa and woke up with a jolt to this playing on my tv. I can remember it vividly. I knew that this was the real thing- call it Art, or whatever you wish. It moved me deeply. I was a young woman then. I find it here by chance, now much older, my life mostly gone and I can't stop crying listening to their voices. I probably don't know exactly what the song is about except love and loss, profound loss and disappointment and facing reality at last. Thank you for sharing this.
RIP Stephen Sondheim
This is the best rendition of arguably his best song.
Hear, hear.
Agreed. Given the great works of Mr Sondheim, Dasmysteryman, that is saying something.
She’s otherworldly. God, I’m grateful to be alive while she is. She’s devastating. Devastating. Is she our greatest actor? Arguably, yes. Brava, Dame Judi and thank you ❤
As if I didn't already love Judi Dench. That was the most devastating performance. She captured it.
The best of them all. And although not primarily a singer, is always perfectly on key. Never a miss. This performance always brings tears to me. Dear Judi........how I love her!
If you admire the singer more than the art has she not failed ? Are you not praising OBVIOUS, NAKED acting ? Dench should stick to playing Victoria. Unlike some I am not fooled by wing flapping theatrical over mellow dramatic singing, you praise the mellow dramatic do you ?????? She doth act too well, you can see the strings !
Simon Pinlaw Actually, she is exactly what Sondheim himself wanted. I heard him on a radio interview describing how he wrote the song. He said, first of all, that the role of Desiree demanded a superb actress who was skilled at light comedy but could do pathos as well, and he knew that such a person would probably not be a great singer, too, because that’s a little too much to ask. So, he constructed the song in a way that would be friendly to a non-singer: lots of questions (i.e., short phrases that wouldn’t require a lot of breath control), strong terminal consonants (so the audience wouldn’t be thinking, “aww, she couldn’t hold that vowel ...”), and a low, limited range (so the audience would not be wincing at poorly produced high notes). There’s an interesting workshop performance on RUclips, with Sondheim coaching a young singer with a naturally gorgeous contralto voice, and he struggles to get her to deliver the emotional content of this moment in the play as he intended (although-who knows?-YOU might actually prefer her performance).
Totally agreed, Annie! She is heartbreakingly brilliant. I feel Glynnis Johns -- the original Desiree -- was equally moving but in a very different way. She hid her pain beneath a veneer of cynicism. But when that veneer cracked the result was poignant indeed.
I totally agree.
for me judi dench will always be the definitive for this song. this song is really fragile, if someone belt this song, it will take all the emotions away. judi dench really bring all the emotions with her acting skill
I was lucky enough to see this performance in person, and it was even more terrific in the theatre. Though she doesn't have a singer's voice, she is wonderfully musical (she played Sally Bowles in the London production of "Cabaret") and she gives a unique reading of this song -- the best I have ever seen.
"to flirt with rescue...when one has no intention of being saved."
The context of this song and Dame Judi Dench's rendition of it make this one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. Thank you, Stephen Sondheim, for writing it.
What story this 🎼 musical ?
@@Dpb-236A little night music
This is the definitive version because all other renditions sound merely sad and rueful. As a result, although they sound beautiful, they quickly become melodramatic and self-indulgent. Dench is the only performer who captures the true, full meaning of this song, which includes ANGER. Sondheim said he purposely wrote the phrases as short and clipped because they were intended to convey rage. The line "send in the clowns" isn't meant to be sung with a rueful chuckle; it is biting sarcasm. Only in this way does the last line of the song make sense. Nobody else shows this, much as I appreciate them as artists.
She is not just disappointed and sad; she is furious: with herself for not appreciating what she had, with him for leading her on, then humiliating her and rejecting her for a younger woman, with the universe because she is past her prime and doesn't have a lot of chances left for happiness. Her life is almost over, she screwed it up, and now she is alone. That is the real meaning of the song; it is much more profound than a simple pop song or sad ballad can convey.
exactly...brilliantly said...she is outraged by it all.
lw2014 Your description is about as cogent as a description could possibly be. If ever a song has been mishandled so often by the simpleminded it's this one.
If you watch the Glynis Johns' Tonight Show performance, you definitely get the anger. It was a real multi-faceted rendition, such as this brilliant rendition by Dench is.
Sorry disagree
When you watch the videos of Sondheim teaching this song, you can see how Judi Dench nails this song. How she conveys how foolishly she has been tearing around and he can't move. And the clipped pronunciation to convey the bitterness and anger. There's a clear delineation of the two t's at the end of "oughT To" and "well" with a clear pause and separation from the next phrase "maybe next year" with the emphasis on "next".
I never understood this song until I watched this video. It always made me cry but now my eyes are brimming with tears. My respect for Dame Judi Dench can only grow.
Every damn time I watch this she gets me. Her delivery is masterful and stunning. This is one of those “once in a lifetime“ performances.
I've always found this song sad, but it never made me cry ... until now.
Yes, it's sad by any accounting by any singer. I never understood the betrayal, the anger, the shock and embarrassment, the bitter self reproach. When she speaks of timing she speaks of folly. And when she speaks the word career, the bitter self irony in facing herself as the artifice falls away... she means her life
She sings this so well.
My Dad cries every time he watches this. I've never seen him like that any other time.
I’ve never felt this song, as I just did ! Thank you Dame Judi Dench
Dame Judy Dench's acting ability puts this rendition of this inspired song writing beyond reproach, it is so sad that people can not see outside of their own box, let alone THINK.
I sat in silence for a few minutes after the video ended. What a beautiful yet heart shattering performance.
I agree Robert. She made this piece for me. I can't imagine another person singing this song now.
no kidding it stops you from living. your normal life. for a few minutes at least.
Amazing! This is my "Go To" song whenever I need good cry. I first understood the song when I heard Dame Elizabeth Taylor sing it in the movie of the Sondheim play "A Little Night Music". It was less than a week after a particularly difficult break up after 5 years with a man I felt sure I was going to spend my life with. He decided to end our relationship because of family pressures to be "normal" and get married and have children (which he did before dying of AIDS).
The simple words of this song perfectly expressed my feelings at that moment and both Elizabeth Taylor and Judi Dench sing it perfectly - simply, unadorned and filled with the emotion the words deserve.
Bob
The KnittyGritty
Bob, What a sad and frankly told story. I am so sorry, I am teary eyed.
I’m so sorry that your story ended that way…
Wow wow wow! She is amazing- no one can touch her talent.
How did she produce that single tear at JUST that moment?
+Marc Allen Because she's Dame Judi Dench.
+Timothy C hell yeah!!!!
+Timothy C -an absolutely perfect way of putting it!
she was not acting. she was the character!
THAT IS HOW GOOD OF AN ACTRESS SHE IS TO BRING THAT TEAR IN AT THE RIGHT TIME.SAME AS BARBARA STANWYCK AS MARY CARSON. SHE BROUGHT ONE TEAR DROP AT THE RIGHT TIME. PERFECT ACTING AND TIMING. :)
Being an actor myself and having worked with the best in the world, I must say that once again Judi Dench humbles me to be an artist. She shows what an artist does and where they can take you simply by being and listening. It is heart breaking.
Brendan-Kailer
The quintessential version. The Dame and her song. When ever I think of this song, no one else should but her.
Everything about this is absolutely stunning!! She looks phenomenal (I know it's unrelated to the performance but her body just looks spectacular), her eyes take you on the most incredible emotional journey through this entire video, and the depths she gets to in the short span from 0:50 to about 1:30 are pure mastery. You could show someone this clip with them knowing nothing of the song or play and have them in tears by the end! One of the very few instances on the internet where calling it the "best/definitive" version of something is completely dead on and damn near undebatable.
I can vouch for that - I in fact know nothing about the song or play (but have every intention to change that) yet I was just wiping the tears of my eyes taht this made me cry. Just wow. I am stunned.
Here's what Stephen Sondheim, the composer/lyricist said in an interview (as given by Wikiwand): 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.
Good Sondheim, but still second fiddle to the great ALW!
Are you kidding? ALW is 5th rate compared to Sondheim. His most popular song (Music of the Night) plagiarized Puccini. It was Weber who turned musical theater into the over produced and under-effective shlock it mostly is today.
He did to musical theater what Spielberg did to movies - and that isn't meant to be a compliment. They are both second rate artists.
What?
Superstar
Cats
Evita
Phantom
Starlight
just off the top of my head!
Right - and they are all mediocre shows. Full of over-the-top production values and emotions being spoon fed to you.
I am never really moved by them -
As I said, they are like Spielberg is with movies - very technologically slick but nothing else.
+loge10 Sondheim is fine wine while ALW is McDonald's
Holy Crap, Now Dame Judi Dench, just went and made me tear up, Judi is so awesome.
At the end, there is a single tear that runs down her cheek. How beautiful she is, and how sad. I love her.
Stunning and incredibly moving. I'd never seen this before but have the cast recording from this production. Thank you for posting!
That is the best version i have ever laid ears on full of emotion sadness and despair, made me cry a couple of tears. it was lovely
Dame Judy is one of the great performing artists of the 20th/21st centuries. I feel priviledged to have shared space on the planet with her.
"Deeply moving as Judi Dench's cello-voice performance of this song was [...] I'll always hear Glynis' flute - " Stephen Sondheim.
"Definitive" is the word. She's in the moment every second. You never know (she seems not to know either) where she's going to go next. THANK YOU.
deaf initive, Judy Collins sings a better version of this song
Judy Collins sings a stunning rendition yes but the needs of the song as pop are different than those as the pivotal dramatic moment in a stage musical. It’s foolhardy you compare
@@bigred8432 Comparing oranges to apples!
She can tear your heart out. She has to be one of the greatest actresses of our day, cant sing a note but tears your heart out with this song.
I agree with you, boy can she act, but she sings like a demented cat.
First my favorite "Bond Girl". Now I found out she can ripe your heart out with a song.
When I watch Dench in danger in a Bond film I am on the edge of my seat. When I watch her sing this I think oh look there's an actress doing a song, all that emotion, what a great ACTRESS.
Because it’s pitched as a stage performance for several thousand seats
Simply magnificent. Is there nothing the grand Dame Judi cannot do?
If you were dazzled by Dench to the exclusion of clown being sent in or not, the lightbulb doth burn too brightly so she failed.
Dench, the greatest actress of our time!
+RImusclebear1 I would select Meryl Streep for that honor.
Damn. I'd forgotten the emotional impact of this song in this scene. Brava, Dame Judi. This is an excellent rendition!
Stunning. That tear did it for me.
Exquisite, flawless and heartbreaking. The ride she takes from elation through incredulity to realization and resignation is an acting master class for anyone wise enough to absorb it. As for comments regarding "vocal limitations" this song was written specifically for Glynis Johns, a magnificent singing actress, whose command of singing breath control required shorter phrases, thus the rhythm we have come to associate with interpretations of the piece. It is actually very challenging for Singers with a capital S to put aside our need to SING extended phrases and demonstrate our chops. This song needs subtlety, simplicity, almost film-like restraint, and not displays of virtuosity or histrionics.
And kudos to Larry Guittard as Fredrik. Wonder who played Carl Magnus in this revival.
Well said. I love this piece.
Yes, the mostly monosyllabic lyrics appear to be simple, but therein lies the challenge: how to convey the range of emotions without emoting.
You admire the Dench furniture polish, not the table. You have got no idea how wrong you are. Novelty and the Dench admiration society does NOT equal excellence. Take the blinkers off.
My vote is for Glynis Johns' performance. Why?She only admits the pain to one part of herself, not all of herself. She is that desperate for illusion. "Let's keep it awhile yet, shall we?"
I got a chance to see and hear her…….deliver this song…….and it absolutely shook my soul. Nobody else comes close to Judi Dench…..
Singing while crying is not an easy thing to pull off. And time only gives her more depth. She’s a treasure!
This scene rips my heart out. I cry every time and all the more wrenching and bitter tears over the last week-end. RIP Stephen.
a piece of perfection
The meaning of this song is so much clearer when performed in a real setting......Judy, not the most pure version voice wise, but the most impacting.
A complex, authoritative and heartrending performance.
That single tear at the end...
Genius meets genius here. Sondheim never wrote a more beautiful song and it was never performed with such resonance and understated emotion and power.
Understated, she was pouring it out like cannon fire and for that reason she failed.
I mean...I'm Still Here from Follies performed by Elaine Stritch is pretty great too. But Judi is indeed on another level.
Dame Dench still cracks open my soul, still brings my tears, still sings this magnificent song as if there were no tomorrow.
Thank goodness for Judi Dench's loveliness\, talent and longevity. We are enriched by her presence.
If it's all too much about Dench and not enough about sending in the clowns she has failed.
And with the single tears rolling down her left cheek at the end. Always a magnificent perfromance
Unbelievable performance.
Breath taking. While Dame Judy's singing may not be perfect, her acting ability more than compensates. Its a beautiful song and needs to be seen and heard in context. Many can sing it very well but so few can really perform it like this. Thank you for allowing me to see and hear this truly lovely performance and Thank You Dame Judy for giving us such a beautiful gift.
This was my first Broadway show, and I've heard a dozen or so women attempt this, but this is incomparable.
Simply amazing. She gets so much out of each lyric.
You're exactly right, which is why Barbra Streisand and Bernadette Peters -- both singers with big, rangy, glorious voices kept their performances vocally restrained when singing this song. That was extremely effective when Peters played the role on Broadway. The use of such a small part of her voice seemed to say, "I am broken and this is all that is left of me." Brilliant.
WHY isn't the whole show available anywhere? Oh, my God, I can't imagine how much I would pay to see it. I sure hope this is one of those "live performances only and not captured otherwise" moments. I feel like if I could see the whole thing my life would be complete (and R.I.P. Steven - no one could construct a song for a musical as you could).
Story of my life. Got all i wanted and thought i was invincible. Lost my mojo.....send in the clowns. You are perfection Lady Dench
The single tear that comes out of her eye on the last word she sings and the stillness of her face kills me every time. She is devastated and so are we.
She’s one of the greatest actresses of all time. If she could sing beautifully she’d beat all the greats of the theatre.
Her accent makes it more effective. It sounds richer and more profound.
Sondheim has always placed more emphasis on the acting rather than the singing and in this case I totally agree with him. Judi Dench is superb in this. No, she doesn't have the best voice in the world but her ability to put this song across - all her heartbreak is there for us to see and hear. Thank you.
The Definitive performance of Send in the Clowns? Was skeptical until I heard it. Yes! Definitive!
This song was my very 1st introduction into American Musical Theatre back when I was in elementary school in the 1970's. Meeting Stephen Sondheim back in the 1990's and hearing him speak of this song. I realized then, this song is one of sorrow, and despair. It is a lament, and that changed everything how I saw this song. Dame Judy, and Bernadette Peters are the only 2 I like to hear sing it.
Best performance of this role ever!
I seem to have got something in my eye.
Stardust?
Those onions are really strong tonight!! ;)
She embodied the totality of this song and its lyrics. So heart wrenching
Hello how are you today?
Hello
Hey can u addme on Facebook
The finest and most meaningful interpretation of this song ever, by anyone.
Absolutely marvelous. Isn't rich to hear Dame Judi Dench perform? Isn't rich to hear her sing?
Isn't rich to be ... Way to go . Who is her male lead?
That's why the lady is a Dame.
Ugh, the ending to this is heart-wrenching!! So beautiful!
She does this so beautifully.
indeed the single greatest musical theater performance ever captured on film.
This is my favorite version of this song.
It's criminal not to like her performance!
Sheer class and elegance in all her performances. . . She will hear the cries for 'encore' for many years to come. . . Yes! She OWNS this song now.
Had the pleasure of seeing this live at the National with Dame Judy. Have always been a massive Sondheim fan (rip maestro). This song is particularly poignant as my grandad was a clown (ring boy to Coco).
If all a song should do is to make you feel something, this delivers the heartbreak we have all had. Bravo.
No one can beat Judi Dench at this song, she plays it so beautifully!
Every time I watch this performance I cry. I find that I have so much in common with the story as it relates to my life. Oh what a wonderful performance captured for all of us to enjoy!
I've been listening to this song most of my life and paid no particular attention. This rendition made me cry. At work! It just broke my heart.
I know what you mean, fine actress, but her singing is so bad it almost made me cry.
Ohhh my goodness, how wonderful! I've never totally got, I feel like, the whole meaning of the song until hearing Ms Judi Dench singing it and truly acting it! I've so enjoyed this beyond measure! Wow!
Sondheim was quoted as saying; "I don't want a Singer who can act. I want an Actor who can sing".
The delivery of a song by an actor/actress is immeasurably better than anything a Singer can do. It's why Acting is an art.
I was lucky enough to see this performance which also featured Patricia Hodge and Siân Phillips in the cast, a ridiculous amount of talent on on stage. The whole show was superb from start to finish; I wish they'd release a DVD or Blu-Ray of it.
I've got the CD for the show, which is quite hard to track down now, and it's excellent - great performances and hilarious lyrics.
My heart is broken - but Steve's music and lyrics will continue time and time again to repair it. RIP to the Shakespeare of Musical Theatre. Thank you Steve, for you music and for your heart.
WOWEE!!!!! and I thought she was great as a comedienne in "As Time Goes BY." This is STUNNING.
So magnificent! Its an awesome performence form Judi. Gets me everytime.
yuppers. the most perfect song sung by the most perfect person.
Judy brings all her performances to life! Always a star and I'll always love her!
why does this song make me cry?
3:10-3:20 When her eyes, too are open & she looks at him, smiles... “I thought that you’d want what I want, sorry my dear” I feel her humility, & my heart breaking with hers.
So bittersweet and heartbreaking...lost so much Love, sorry, but I must cry....❤
Pure magic❤
Just perfect.
truly the best.
I like this performance. I think Ms. Dinch's voice is perfectly suited to the situation.
I never knew what this song was about until I watched this.
brings a tear to many of us.
so lovely....
thx judi.
...shivers 5 times. AND tears.