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.

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.

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.

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.

The Definitive performance of Send in the Clowns. Every single syllable is packed with meaning. An absolute masterclass in musical theatre performance.

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 ❤

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.

As if I didn't already love Judi Dench. That was the most devastating performance. She captured it.

RIP Stephen Sondheim This is the best rendition of arguably his best song.

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.

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 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.

"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.

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.

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.

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

I've always found this song sad, but it never made me cry ... until now.

Dame Dench still cracks open my soul, still brings my tears, still sings this magnificent song as if there were no tomorrow.

I sat in silence for a few minutes after the video ended. What a beautiful yet heart shattering performance.

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

The quintessential version. The Dame and her song. When ever I think of this song, no one else should but her.

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

How did she produce that single tear at JUST that moment?

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.

Wow wow wow! She is amazing- no one can touch her talent.

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.

At the end, there is a single tear that runs down her cheek. How beautiful she is, and how sad. I love her.

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

Damn. I'd forgotten the emotional impact of this song in this scene. Brava, Dame Judi. This is an excellent rendition!

Singing while crying is not an easy thing to pull off. And time only gives her more depth. She’s a treasure!

Stunning and incredibly moving. I'd never seen this before but have the cast recording from this production. Thank you for posting!

Holy Crap, Now Dame Judi Dench, just went and made me tear up, Judi is so awesome.

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.

Simply magnificent. Is there nothing the grand Dame Judi cannot do?

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.

"Deeply moving as Judi Dench's cello-voice performance of this song was [...] I'll always hear Glynis' flute - " Stephen Sondheim.

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.

"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.

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.

And with the single tears rolling down her left cheek at the end. Always a magnificent perfromance

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.

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!

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.

Dench, the greatest actress of our time!

Stunning. That tear did it for me.

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.

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

First my favorite "Bond Girl". Now I found out she can ripe your heart out with a song.

She’s one of the greatest actresses of all time. If she could sing beautifully she’d beat all the greats of the theatre.

Thank goodness for Judi Dench's loveliness\, talent and longevity. We are enriched by her presence.

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.

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.

Simply amazing. She gets so much out of each lyric.

Genius meets genius here. Sondheim never wrote a more beautiful song and it was never performed with such resonance and understated emotion and power.

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.

She does this so beautifully.

Ugh, the ending to this is heart-wrenching!! So beautiful!

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).

If all a song should do is to make you feel something, this delivers the heartbreak we have all had. Bravo.

This was my first Broadway show, and I've heard a dozen or so women attempt this, but this is incomparable.

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!

No one can beat Judi Dench at this song, she plays it so beautifully!

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.

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!

a piece of perfection

indeed the single greatest musical theater performance ever captured on film.

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.

That single tear at the end...

It's criminal not to like her performance!

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?

Judy brings all her performances to life! Always a star and I'll always love her!

Best performance of this role ever!

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.

So magnificent! Its an awesome performence form Judi. Gets me everytime.

I came here as soon as I heard the news. What a tremendously bittersweet day. Rest In Peace, Sondheim. Your music lives forever.

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).

Unbelievable performance.

i just found this now here in yt. i'm a BIG fan of Dame Judy Dench. and here, in this/her performance, i can not find the word/s to describe her performance. i can feel the pain she is feeling. so heartfelt ... i ❤ Dame Judy 💕👏❤👍

I have been a fan of Dame Judi for a long, long time and if anyone needs to understand why, this is the answer. Thank you for posting this.

This is my favorite version of this song.

...shivers 5 times. AND tears.

i saw this for the first time about eight years ago when i went to new york for musical theatre training. we had a class where we watched videos of some of the greatest musical theatre performances over the years. this was the last video one day. the class of twenty or so sat completely still and silent throughout this clip. at the end, every single person, including the instructor, was crying. i believe this to be the single greatest musical theater performance ever captured on film.

brings a tear to many of us. so lovely.... thx judi.

Glorious! I love her acting in it... It's so cool, it's so dramatic... Hugs from Brazil.

Yes, I was there next year - Wed 24 JUL 1996, Olivier Theatre. Indelible. Thanks for the memory.

What amazes me is that Dame Judy is still performing magnificently on stage and screen to this day, despite her increasingly declining vision. She's such a living legend.

The finest and most meaningful interpretation of this song ever, by anyone.

merveille absolue d'interprétation de la très grande Mme Judi Dench,les larmes viennent vite

what i love about this is the fact that judi dench is sang it so simply. She is allowing the character to come through simply by singing, and by doing so, allows the piece to take on a clear, emotional lament. This is definitely one of my favorite renditions of one of my favorite songs of Sondheim! Simply beautiful.

This is one of my favorite versions of this song. You can tell that she's acting and not just singing a song with no meaning. Brilliant.

I never knew what this song was about until I watched this.

I like this performance. I think Ms. Dinch's voice is perfectly suited to the situation.

That's why the lady is a Dame.

A true professional. A career that encompasses music, theatre, TV and cinema and can play anything from slap-stick comedy to Shakespeare and all with such style and grace. I have been a huge fan for many years and am delighted to say that not only is she still with us but that she is still working. A truly remarkable woman.

She embodied the totality of this song and its lyrics. So heart wrenching