Glynis Johns Send in the Clowns

[Reginald56]

If you like Glynis Johns, find a little gem of an unknown movie called No Highway in the Sky, with Jimmy Stewart and Jack Hawkins too. I don't think it's ever made it to DVD, but it is available on VHS tape.

[BMeister22]

I know she's 88 but she hasn't been seen in over a decade. Anybody know what kind of health she's in?

[Dexcab]

@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.

[BMeister22]

@Dexcab Do you know for sure she's in Los Angeles?

[simplystreeptacular]

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

[spudmuffa]

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

[TedMichaelMorgan]

Definitive--period. 

[myrnaloysboy]

I love Glynis Johns - you are just wonderful. Good health dearest Glynis.

[derrickdowland]

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.

[1AdrianR]

Perfect

[Ilenowsmusic]

I have had the pleasure of seeing the three Desirees. Hands down(because I fear someone might deck me) Glynis Johns shone above the rest.I'm afraid to say,also, that the magnificent"Walking"music" part of the overture had changed.Even the God shouldn't do that.Far from me to say.I love this musical more than you can imagine.It's good to share stuff . Thanks to the powers that be for bringing this to youtube

c

[sondheimisGAWD]

this woman brings so many nuances to a standard, no one has been able to accurately recreate the brilliance that Sondheim saw in her to write this song for her!

[whellynne77]

This song was written for Glynis Johns. She doesn't have the best breath support so the phrases are short. This was written with her voice in mind and for the character - shouldn't be flawless and perfect.

[tweakes]

i wanted to think of something to say that sounded smart, but all i can say is that her eyes kept freaking me out :( i think she over did it. love hearing a version that isn't so prim and perfect (i.e. judy collins, barbra streisand) that we tend to hear so often though.

[suejoy01]

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.

[hauntboy]

@suejoy01 Hey, I remember this. It was the first time I'd heard the song, and usually the 1st version you hear is the one you like best if you like the song. I think her Parky performance may have been superior to this.

[bearcub410]

JUST WONDERFUL THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE CLIP . MOVING

[mzmiller52]

i've always thought glynnis johns is the perfect interpretation on this, but i saw bernadette peters last night and just could not believe it. the show should stop right after she sings this solo. and she is denied her ovation. although the theater was shaking when she took her bow. never a big fan of hers until i saw her in 'gypsy". another tremendous performance ( though much nicer than the real mama rose is supposed to have been). last night had to be one my top ten nights at the theater.

[mreunome]

I just watched Glynnis Johns in Miranda and Mad About Men 1948-1954 and she was wonderful . . . but I never heard her sing, and I don't think her version of Send In The Clowns is my cup to tea, but i do like her. She reminds me of Maggie Smith and Elsa Lancaster

[Mhiker1]

I was just watching "No Highway in the Sky" (1951) with Ms. Johns and was reminded by her sweet voice how wonderful I think she is. It's so magnetic and it draws you in so easily. She's awesome!

[execelsior]

You are forgetting that Glynis Johns is a classically trained actress - and so was able to go from Desiree to Mrs Banks and back again with ease. She was a greatly underappreicated actress that the producers of 'A Little Night Music' and Stephen Sondheim recognized as a truly great talent.

[kirinrex]

She's so marvelous.

[kenjones29]

Welsh women all, lol, Magic!!

[SouthCoastMackem]

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.

[Tecfob]

and I thought that Judi Dench was great.. This is magnificent!!

[Jennie7019]

Just Wonderful !

[mzmiller52]

her performance should be required listening. how to sing and act. i love that

sondheim uses non-traditional singers. and len cariou, how wonderful. got to see him as sweeney todd before george hearn stomped all over broadway.

[ugahush]

She captures the emotion perfectly! So why does Elizabeth taylor get a bad rep?

[points60254]

I saw the original with Ms. Johns. I just saw Ms. Peters. I adore Bernadette.

I have heard a thousand versions of this song sung by every major and not so major artist.

No one can outdo Glynis. Sorry my dear.

[BTURNER1961]

Masterful, performance, superb.

[wickedexpert]

I hear that this song was written for her voice, but when I listen to this, I'm not sure that it's my favourite version. I think that the song is better suited to the voices of some of the other women that sing it, more so than Johns'. Then again, she is supposed to be acting here too ... so the focus might be on the context of the scene, rather than just singing the song itself. She's still awesome though. And who'd have thought she was the little mother in Mary Poppins? :)

[AtLastOnTheGround]

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.

[pudgeuncle]

Jean SImmons did the London company. Far superior. Julie Andrews at the 1984 Tonys..the best! This TV series was great whle it lasted. I wish someone would do a TV show like this again.

[toughcookie5454]

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

[shelair52]

A wonderful actress with a very emotional rendition

[falconoilcompany]

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.

[barnedooliver]

Beautiful interpretation!

[robbiew8n]

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

[iristacrat]

Great great, but there is nothing wrong with a good singer in the role either--no mater what the master wants, witness Sally Anne Howes!!

Poor Zita Jones, does she realize the pain and destruction her medicore existence causes? Perhpas it is Gods way of punishing the Human race..

[glenn212now]

She's stunning.

[dickie1066]

brilliant...wonderful

[BalletBabyBoy]

The acting is so strong, you believe who she is even thought the voice is not good...CZJ get out...

[jimbronxny]

excellent

[rootbeeronbroadway]

Though sometimes her voice turns me off, she still has the perfect balance of frustration and sadness love it

[lesliedrewh]

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.

[JohnClarke101]

I heard her sing this many years ago on some TV show and she was fantastic. it was so different from any other version I've heard, with incredible feeling from the heart.

[gillgain]

@JohnClarke101 I remember seeing this too John, I'm sure it was on Parkinson and her rendition was even more hearbreaking than this one that I've never forgotten it. Superb!

Gill

[ladyblakeney]

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.

[hmontes89]

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

[DisneyFaithful]

So beautiful.

[katherinefitzger]

And THAT ladies and gentlemen is how it's done....and why Sondheim said he would always cast an actor over a singer. Oh my word, I've never heard Glynis Johns sing this before, brought a tear to my eye, (although my brain is having terrible trouble reconciling this performance with the image of Mrs Banks!!)

[delidude1999]

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

[0732jamie]

Of course she sings this song the best, It was written for her voice specifically.

[delidude1999]

i absolutely adore her!!!!

[tenortobe]

the only one who makes me cry singing this song. It's so ironic and depressing and true and vulnerable. We've all been there and I think more than any other singer, she captures that feeling of regret, of missing your chance so perfectly. Oversung in an undersung way.

[uncoverbrother]

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.

[cirej25]

I love this song soo much, but I am not familiar with the story of the song. What is this musical about? "little night of music" can anyone explain to me the meaning of the song? ty.

[artfreak317]

@cirej25 she's been rejected by an old flame, although they both love each other, he still loves his wife. "send in the clowns" refers to the practice of resorting to jokes when all else fails, but she means 'don't bother, they're here,' as in, they are the fools.

[mitchellivers]

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.

[broadjumper1]

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"

[noahsdad61]

@AtLastOnTheGround Having looked at this again, I see anger I hadn't seen before. I like her version--the first I ever heard--but I still think Dench's is truer. If the singer adopts a detached, wry attitude (as I've seen some do), then the whole play can be dismissed as mere farce. But there's darkness in Bergman's original, and death lurking in the shadows (the suicide attempt, the duel, Mme A's death, "every day a little...") gives a deeper meaning--make life count while you have time.

[noahsdad61]

@mitchellivers I think she is angry and sad (bemused, too, and still in love--a rich stew of emotion). I think she's surprised to discover that her feelings are so strong after all these years. So, now that it counts, now that it matters, what she wants is beyond her reach. That's the irony. After years of flirtatious superficiality, she's found her true love--and he walks out. Just when we think we've lined things up, they fall apart. Two old fools--maybe there's hope for them after all.

[PiecesOfRainbow7]

@mitchellivers i dont know, i just watched an interview with sondheim about this song and he said that during this, Desiree was "Furious"... which I found a little shocking because I hadn't thought of it as that extreme... basically, she really thought she had a shot with him, because she realizes that he is the best option, and so she plans to invite him and his family to stay to convince him to be with her, and when she confesses, shes embarrassed because he says no... "losing my timing etc"

[thin4myself]

she is the only person in the world who can sing this song properly in my opinion.... although i think that is true for most original casts

[quilloenUSA]

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

[mottym100]

this is the mum in mary poppins

[mondragon99]

I just saw the revival, and had to listen to this after the butchering Zeta Jones did of this song.

[mitchellivers]

Ah, well. Every day a little death.

[Scorpion773]

Should I save my money?

[showtunestarpower]

@mondragon99 I did just what you did. I had to come back to the original well for inspiration!

[nixxnutz2]

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

[sweeney60]

@nixxnutz2

Catherine wasnt that bad, but what i cant understand is why Bernadette took over instead of just playing it from the beginning. Then they would have had Bernadette Peters and Angela Langsbury, the two greatest musical performers in history together in one show. Not to mention that they are both veterans from other Sondheim shows.

[AbOvoII]

Ok, so you're putting on a show and you put in a song for your star. Whoa! The song enters the theatrical canon as one of the best songs ever for a woman, no matter her range or ability. Even done almost 10 years after opening, it is wonderful to see the song performed again by the original stars. So easy to see why G.J. was cast and kept. YouTube is a treasure for theatre buffs. Thank you mitchellivers!

[silverscreenmovies]

Great to see this from a star of the great Screen

days.

Her father Mervyn was one of the top stars of his day.

[rvcrvc2]

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

[AAMLfan]

So glad we have Glynis Johns. Who knows how different the song would have been had the role been played by another actress.

[secondarycharacters]

This is the greatest preformance of this song. EVER. I can see Catherine Zeta Jones singing this song (I can hear her voice as I listen) and I cannot wait till she opens and I KNOW it will be a smashing sucsess! I hope they record the revival on CD, with such a remarkable cast.....OPENS IN A FEW WEEKS!!!

[fossefan]

Yes, I'm looking forward to the revival too! Hope it breaks all sorts of records so it'll be in New York when I go.

Also, does anyone agree with me that D'Jamin Bartlett, the original Petra, is a dead ringer for Kiera Knightley? I don't know if KK can sing, but if she can, someone needs to sign her up for this!

[teethang]

I just got back from seeing the revival, Catherine did a very good job on this song. It wasn't so heartbreaking that it brought me to tears, but it made me get close. You could sense the heartache in her voice.

[fossefan]

Okay Catherine Zeta-Jones...top this!

[sitedezynz]

My God I love Glynis Johns. Though she may not be a singer she moves me to tears with this beautiful rendition of this song.

[bgbutera]

rendition?!!!

sondheim wrote it FOR her.

[mkl62]

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

[xelallih]

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

[AJthemoviebuff]

Amazing....just....simply....a­mazing.

[plastic58frog]

magnificent!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!

[kiwiscouse]

I have seen Jean Simmons in the original London cast in 1974, Judi Dench at the national Theatre and Hannah Waddingham in the recent London revival play Desiree but no-one can better Glynis Johns - the part was written for her and you can see why - simply stunning.

[TIMUK]

It would be truer to say that the song was written for Glynis Johns who possesed an expressive but limited voice, However as she had been cast in the lead and a song was required. Rachel Roberts - seriously considered - would have been a marvel - but without, one suspects, "Send in the Clowns".

[roccoh21]

In Hal Prince's autobiography, he writes about casting the original and being torn between Tammy Grimes and Johns. He said that he chose John's because he felt she would be more devasated. Thus, the part was not actually written for her.

[mitchellivers]

The PART was not written for her. The song was.

[ekim227]

@mitchellivers Yup. you're right. He wrote the song for her.

[WhovianRentPhan13]

Um... Stupid question... But, what musical is this song from? :-)

[mitchellivers]

It's in the description in the upper-right corner.

[leofilm]

...and there you have it.

[robbie72uk]

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

[Jonboi713]

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

[AtLastOnTheGround]

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.

[ronjustincase]

Now THAT'S entertainment. Ron Oz

[sarge6408]

I can't add any more superlatives. A truly great and deely moving moment from a wonderful musical. The seemingly simple song is sooo complex and layered with meaning - and Glynis Johns has never been bettered. I had the original cast album for years but never SAW her singing it - which is why this clip is so special. Thank you SO much for posting!!

[mzmiller52]

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!!!!

[JourneysEnd99]

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.

[yayafay1]

This is from the first Broadway show I saw, on my first trip to New York. I will never forget the magical feeling of hearing the orchestra play the overture. This is still my favorite version of the song!It does break your heart!

[bebopbetty]

Fabulous. A friend of mine sent an email question about this song, which got me to listen to all sorts of versions today: Judy Collins' pop classic, Barbra Streisand's, Judi Dench (who did the role in London, a close second) and then I came back to watch this after reading that Sondheim had written the song in TWO DAYS during rehearsals for the Broadway opening. This is the only one I cried to -- such poignancy. And thanks for the duet portion of the song -- never seen it elsewhere.Superb!

[BTURNER1961]

Basically, you are watching tony worthy acting ,with musical accompaniment . Never seen this done so well. No one needs a voice, if they can communicate like this. Superb.

[Operalover12002]

Glynis Johns sounds just exactly as when she played Mrs. Banks in Mary

Poppins.

[tomsmith127]

Is this the same woman who was the mother who sang 'Sister Suffragette' off Many Poppins?

[darreyl102]

YEP =)

[TrevsMum]

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! :)

[Chutson353]

I totally agree - there's something magical about a song being tailor written for someone - noone else can really compare to the original.

[MisterLyricist]

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

[Chequimorena]

Her voice has such a beautiful colour to it.

I feel melancholy, and happyness.

[sro301]

She's not a traditional singer, but I LOVE her voice. You can certainly pick it out of a crowd.

[ElTejon47901]

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.

[ITSJoeyCastillo]

"they're ought to be clowns..."

i broke in tears! lol i love this song!!!!

[jtcarey2]

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

[wsj1887]

I always love the actors Sondheim writes his work for originally best. If you know what I mean.

[grumfutek]

truly the best recording ever of this song

[guacamoleroxmysox]

its a song for an actress, not a singer, which is why Glynis Johns is so amazing.

[Dutra24]

How awesome is that?

[mitchellivers]

Yes, I knew that.

[doomwhatelse]

Did you know that Sondheim wrote this song so that Glynnis Johns could sing it easily? Short phrases, low range, and long musical interludes for her to take advantage of (as a brilliant actress). It only took him a couple of hours to write, because for Sondheim, it's a very simple song. Truly, I only like the song when it's sung in the context of the show, because so much of it depends on the emotional background- rather than the musical depth, which is suprisingly low for someone like Sondheim.

[mnmsf]

SHe is incredible. I was lucky enough to see her in A Little Night Music and she broke my heart. Thanks

[Angela5085]

I'm not old enough to know where this song is from, but i heard it on a show and wanted to hear all of it. she does the best version I've heard yet. It makes me want to see the movie, if there is one.

[doomwhatelse]

She is the original actor to sing this song- from the brilliant musical, "A Little Night Music" by the even more brilliant composer and lyricist, Stephen Sondheim. There was a movie made after the musical ran on broadway, but the film is a shoddy affair that should be avoided. I recommend hunting down the rare dvd of the 1980 production at the New York Opera House. I was able to purchase a copy online, maybe you can find it to. Best of Luck.

[wadeca18]

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

[LittleFolk]

as always, nothing can touch the original

[khtx]

Isn´t Glynis Johns playing "mother banks" in Mary Poppins?

[cdaniels7689]

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

[hmontes89]

Thats correct. She played Winifred Banks.

[edmame]

i like how the romantic vision appears, then quickly vanishes in her take on "i thought that you want what i want, sorry, my dear". streisand is technically dazzling, dench gives multi layers of pain, but for some reason glynis is definitive. maybe it's her perfect ratio of strength dissolved in fragility, great youth and beauty unraveled by aging.

[WillInNewHaven]

Almost a complete spectrum of great performers have done this song.

From Sarah Vaughan, a jazz artist, great musician and singer but not an actress

To this version, done by a great actress with a serviceable singing voice and a wonderful conception of the part.

I could listen to any of them. Streisand combines actress and musician best, perhaps, but every version I hear is great.

Hail Sondheim

[brianbcfc12]

fantastic responce, i could sing this and trust me my voice is somewhat not grand.. simply a wonderful song by Sondheim

[rbocanegra62]

thank you for posting, i guess it's 20 yrs after she performed it on broadway. very moving.

[trilipush]

Thank you. It is very unusual, and written for Glynis!

[Natels]

I saw this version on Broadway in 1977, sitting in the second row, crying along with Glynnis. Still my favorite musical of all time. And no one yet has touched Len Cariou as Fredrick (or Sweeney), even Jeremy Irons couldn't get close.

[AvalonMorley]

In 1977? But it wasn't running in 1977, having run from February 1973 to August 1974. Or perhaps you meant you saw the event shown on this video, in which case, pardon me and never mind. I saw the original production towards the end of its run, with most of the original cast, other than William Daniels having replaced Cariou. It was marvelous!

[bastablejc]

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.

[cda345]

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

[dropsoffaith]

You know Glynis originated this role. . . it is said that Sondheim created it for her.

[iamatrekkie]

oh i like this - she's feeling that song.

Not as deeply as dear Dame Judi but with a bit more bitterness.

[leejohnson569]

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.

[6funswede]

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.

[bohemiawelcumsyou]

It's no wonder these two were chosen for the OBC. Len Cariou makes acting and singing seem as easy as breathing, and Glynis Johns is fantastic. It took me a while to get used to her subtle touch to SITC after having seen Glenn and Barbra do it, but I really like it now.

Thanks for posting

[bohemiawelcumsyou]

In the actual musical, does the whole part with Desiree and Fredrik singing the song back and forth take place? Because I don't remember seeing that in other versions, but that's just me.

[mitchellivers]

Yes.

[Chunkymount]

Did Glynis play Mrs Banks (Votes for Women) In Mary Poppins ?

[mitchellivers]

Yes

[phillieboy]

what I love about Glynis is that she is not the BEST singer.. it's there... but she is the only one in my opinion who actually feels the song, and knows exactally what she is singing about. PHENMINAL performance. makes me cry everytime I watch this.

[exiron0202]

I like to think of it as having an "actor's voice", being able to act through a song and fully express its emotional and dramatic ramifications even with a less trained voice.

[midtowner]

Luckily I can type my thanks. it would be impossible to speak them with the lump in my throat.

[llw40]

How heartbreakingly stunning. This version cuts into my soul like no other. When I hear it, it reminds me of the heartbreak of my life from which I have not healed yet. But I don't mind the reminder, because the music is helping me to heal. What makes this so sad is that sometimes, no matter how hard you want to make love work, you can't. There must be a certain amount of fate attached to love, for hard work is certainly not the only factor. What an unforgettable performance.

[queenastilon]

llw40, Hard work is indeed not the answer. Once I said: "I'm bending over backwards to make this work" and he said "That's just it: you shouldn't have to."

In short, I join you in remembering heartbreak such as expressed so well in this song. Sometimes we doubt whether it really is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.

But it IS better. Trust me. Some people never experience anything so wonderful - they haven't really lived.

[mal334455]

This is by far the best version

[leomaxfrank]

the whole thing is an acting lesson.

[shauninfl28]

Okay I have to say a couple of things. First, Glynis Johns is the original and you can see why. Dame Judi's Desiree, in my opinion, is AMAZING. But Johns' version is more subtle--not better, but more subtle. Also, it's awesome to see Len Cariou! For those that don't know, he was the original Sweeny Todd--eat your heart out, Johnny Depp.

[ildemart]

very awesome version

[MZ0007]

She'll always be Mrs Banks to me.

[arcanaus]

I...wow...this is amazing.

[piraticalmaid]

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

[lolorobs8217]

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

[execelsior]

@lolorobs8217

Me too!!!

[Elphabantom]

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

[Elphabantom]

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! :) )