"Send in the Clowns".

OK, girls and boys, back to the 70s: The late great Stephen Sondheim penned this nostalgic ballad for the second act of his 1973 "A Little Night Music". The hit musical was inspired by the 1955 Ingmar Bergman film "Smiles of a Summer Night". He wrote it specifically for Glynis Johns, who played Desirée Armfeldt in the original Broadway production. It reflects upon missed opportunities, disappointments and life's ironies. The title comes from a theatrical metaphor for when something goes wrong on the stage. Sinatra's 1973 recording made it Sondheim's most popular composition. Judy Collins' 1975 rendition became a mainstream hit, winning the Grammy for Song of the Year. Major hit for Barbra Streisand in 1985. Ballad? Answer: "Send in the Clowns". In live theater or the circus, if a performance falls apart, the directors or ringmasters send in clowns to distract the audience and cover up the disaster. Metaphorically, however, asking for the clowns means acknowledging that a situation has become a farce or a total mess, and it is time to face the foolishness. When Judy and I were in school in Philly in the 70s, The Forrest Theater was, and still is, right next to Jefferson at 11th and Walnut. It brought in all the Broadway productions. We were fortunate in that the Ladies' Auxiliary bought tickets for the nursing students. In addition, many of the attendings were season ticket holders and, when they couldn't attend a performance, they would give the tickets to the med students and residents. This was a blessing for us cash-strapped students, allowing us to see all the current Broadway productions gratis. We recently had the privilege of seeing Judy Collins at Hoyt Sherman in Des Moines and she closed the concert with "Send in the Clowns" - major goosebumps! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAl-EawVobY&list=RDOAl-EawVobY&start_radio=1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOUrnUktTjU&list=RDfOUrnUktTjU&start_radio=1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L6KGuTr9TI&list=RD8L6KGuTr9TI&start_radio=1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Yu3SUlEhWA&list=RD7Yu3SUlEhWA&start_radio=1

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