Clowning Around

In an old episode of "The Golden Girls", Blanche's brother comes for a visit and reveals to Rose that he's gay. Rose, unable to keep the secret, tells Dorothy, who in turn refuses to tell Sophia. Sophia, however, is convinced she can figure the secret out. After asking Blanche's brother a few nonsensical questions, she tells Dorothy that she's cracked the secret: Blanche's brother is gay. Dorothy asks how she figured it out, and Sophia responds, "I heard him singing in the shower. He's the only man I ever knew who knew all the words to 'Send in the Clowns'."

This is a fitting introduction to this post. "Send in the Clowns" (a Stephen Sondheim song from his 1973 musical "A Little Night Music") is one of those tunes that has somehow managed to endear itself to the gay community. Along with "Over the Rainbow", and pretty much anything by Streisand and Midler, "Send in the Clowns" is a powerful torch song almost always performed by a diva.

And pretty much every diva has covered it at some point. Streisand, Judy Collins, Grace Jones, Elizabeth Taylor, Angela Lansbury, Glenn Close, Glynis Johns have all recorded "Send in the Clowns".

I've always liked the song; indeed, it's the only song I still remember how to play on the piano. The lyrics speak beautifully of love lost, opportunities squandered, and last chances at happiness. It is divinely sad.

But after hearing Dame Judi Dench's version, my like for "Send in the Clowns" escalated to love. And I also realized that, despite the long list of impressive talents who have covered the tune, none of them got it right, or at least as spot-on, as Dench did in the 1996 West End revival of "A Little Night Music". While the other divas follow the obvious route of belting the song and exaggerating its melodramatic splendor, Dench presents it as it was meant to be performed: subtle, raw, emotionally devastating, and undeniably quiet in its sheer power.

"Send in the Clowns" is not a song meant for a singer. It's a song meant for an actress. And they don't get much better than Judi Dench.

Before her rendition, the first minute and a half of the clip below is an interview with Dame Judi. It's important to watch this to understand the backstory of the song -- clearly something the other cover artists didn't comprehend.

Grab the Kleenex and enjoy.