Dame Judi Dench sings "Send in the Clowns" - BBC Proms 2010 

I've heard every version: Frankie, Barbara, Judy Collins, etc. And this one, by far, strikes the marrow of the song. It is the most moving version. It is not about who has the most impressive voice. She made me cry.

An actor who sings! Not a "vocalist", but an actor who conveys the story with the talent required. Stunning!

The silence in the auditorium during her rendition of the song is all you need to know about how mesmerizing and beautifully she performed.

I still find this the most beautiful performance of Send in the Clowns ever; I don't care if she misses notes ... she has lived this song, you can tell by how she performs it. It is mesmerizing.

For all those who think she can't sing, she's not trying to sing it, she's performing it.

This is a masterclass in understanding a song.

She's a great actress; she's seriously thinking, concentrating about what she's saying; she's using what actors call sense memory; and heaven knows what else. She's mesmerizing, magnetic; she's a marvel. Thank you for this, Dame Judi.

Truly the ultimate, definitive, heart wrenching performance. She knows and means every syllable of every word. No other actor has gotten to the depth of the soul of the character. Her performance literally takes the air out of your lungs.

The way she snaps "Don't bother" with so much anger and then her voice just breaks at "they're here". It's brilliant and deeply tragic

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you tell a story!

Sometime when I am writing, sitting on the couch in the evening, I notice, out of the corner of my eye, that my husband is staring at me . Because I am now comfortably into my 60's and secretly insecure, maybe because I have unconsciously bought into Hollywoods portrayal of Older women. I wonder if he stares because there is a booger on my nose , or because of the way my skin now hangs just a bit below my chin, or because my eyes are not quite as round and fresh my body not as lean and quick. But then when I look over at him I realize it is for the same reason it has always been. Age gives and takes, and what it gives is far more lovely than what it might take. Judi Dench is such a perfect example of that. How one becomes more beautiful as you rub elbows with time. Such a graceful, lovely woman.

RIP Stephen Sondheim. Thanks for writing this classic.

Oh, Lord, she is not just singing, she is giving life to the music music

Sobbing watching this in 2023

I never understood this song, until now that is. Listening to Dame Judi Dench's version is....for lacknof a better phrase, transformative. I felt every word, every syllable. I know she will never read this, but thank you ma'am. This version brought me to tears. You were perfectly imperfect, and I was spellbound. I've listened to your version about 10 plus times now. And I will continue to listen to it. Thank you.

She’s on of God’s most talented creatures. We have been graced by her genius. Brava!

I never 'got' the song until I saw this performance. I was in tears. I will never understand how she makes emotion look so natural, real & effortless.Amazing.

People say Leonard Cohen couldn't sing either, but either you get it or you don't, this is a heart felt wonderful performance of a great song .

Perfection, pure perfection. Watching this great lady is such a privilege. 🥰

...and our tears never stop running...

I Believe THAT is how that song was meant to be sung. With feeling. With pause. So much more elegant.

I love how she mentally prepares for this performance and gets into character before she sings one note.

Dear Dame Judi Dench, adding *ANOTHER* reason as to why she is so highly regarded & so downright lovable. Her emotions ran quite deep doing this. I felt her husband, Michael Williams had a role in her thoughts during this as well. Brava! 🇬🇧 Beautifully done.

As some one who is in music education this has to be one of the most charged literature based performances I have seen so far… such love and innocence in the sound is just 😘😘👌👌

Oh the aching sadness in her face. I cried before she sang a word. Surely no one felt the sorrow in the song more.

This is such a perfect performance. This beautiful lament was made for the more mature voice whose life experience could truly witness the regret that this song portrays. Great face, great voice, great memories in her twinkling eyes. For those who don't get it, I think as the years roll on it will come to you. Just magnificent.

She is magnificent!! Her timing, her facial expressions, her beautiful voice. There was not a sound coming from the audience during her performance. No one wanted to miss one moment of the story she was telling. I've seen this song "sung" before, but she acted it out, and it was perfection!!!!

The absolute silence of the audience says it all. Stunning performance!

The emotions in the way she sings it is off the scale. This is what musical theatre is all about. It is not about hitting every note perfectly, but telling a story and this is just perfection

Perfect . This song was written for an actress not a pure singer, hence the emotion. Just beautiful.

i can’t help but cry at just how beautiful this rendition is. the emotion is so powerful and it really brings the story to the forefront, rather than a performer favouring vocals over anything else. stunning

The writer of the song made it for somebody that wasn’t a singer. I prefer it this, when actors perform it than when singers sing it ❤

I'm in tears. It's her face, so expressive, so sad.

Sondheim writes music for actors who can sing. Not singers who can 'act'. What an astonishing woman. Happy Birthday Dame Judi! xx

I am not a fan of non-singer interpretations of great songs...and coming here after Sinatra's seminal, eternal reading. But...Judi Dench proves the exception. And here I am left in tears. A brilliant performance. Her glances, expressions, and voice tell a story of tragedy, mistiming, farce, and aging. Beautiful.

Have you ever heard a song, and thought - that, is just what I’m feeling right now. Just heard this performance for the first time and that is exactly what DJD does. She doesn’t “Sing” it as the title says, she feels it. Most of us, would sound exactly like this if we were truly expressing our feelings, raw, emotional, heartfelt, angry, sad, disappointed, depressed and failing. This is not a song. This isn’t sung… This is a soul expressing its deepest feelings, and it is one of the MOST BEAUTIFUL things I’ve ever heard in my life. I feel blessed to have heard it, seen it, felt it, lived it. Open your hearts, not your ears. That silence as she shows her soul, is exactly what you should be. Silent. Embracing this wondrous emotion. Not a sound amongst the thousands there. Simply open to what was her bearing her soul. Beautiful Thank you so much Dame Judi Dench. Thank you so much ❤

Brava to the audience in this theater that GETS it. Dench is sublime. Period.

GLORIOUS is the only word for it. Her performance is so powerful it can break your bones.

This never gets old, even after 13 years it was gorgeously performed by the Great Dame herself. 🥹🥲 She commands the stage with her presence and with the sensuous sound of the orchestra serenading along with her only then this pin drop silent in the hall can be achieved ❤ Thank You again for this remarkable performance. I need tissue please 🥲🥲

Absolutely gorgeous..Heart wrenching music and words..My favorite actress!!

She isn't just singing this-she's living every word! Utterly magnificent.

well this is what singing a musical theatre song supposed to be. not hitting the notes perfectly or as they are written. saying the words however you feel. bravo

this perfectly demonstrates how classical theater wasn't about one trick ponies. to be able to act and sing at once to fully communicate with the audience is a profound talent.

54 year ol d male here. The very last part of the song, with Judy Denches intense stare towards her inner thoughts, got me into tears. So stunningly beautiful and moving. Greetings from Italy.

I don't know why I'm even surprised. She's far & away the greatest theatre actress who has ever graced the stage.

I love how she smiles for the initial applause and then right before your eyes becomes the character

It is the most moving version of this song .Judi sang it with so much feeling

Her version was beautiful she's so soft and gentle I cried she's beautiful

This is how the song is supposed to be sung. It's a haunting lyric and the voice is supposed to hoarse as if the singer is crying at reminiscing about the past.

The first time I saw her lerform this song, she was sitting on the edge of a two people bed. Alone. With that special voice of hers. I broke down and cried. She is such a fantastic actress! The depth she gives to this, already great song, gives me goosebumps, everytime I hear it.

She has the gift of story telling and only a few actors or singers have that gift.

The surge of emotion I felt on "don't bother" was hard! That anger and sadness was real in that phrase

Just when I thought there was nothing more she could do to outdo herself. Wow! What a performance.

This song always breaks me but this rendition is absolutely beautiful and so genuine. She’s a Dame for a good damn reason!

An article honoring Sondheim mentioned to check this performance out and so glad I did. Lovely and now sobbing. Gosh I love that song and her perform was spot on.

Sings it with a passion it's like her talking about her life showing such feelings in the words

This is one of the saddest songs. So beautifully performed with all the regret and irony

I come back to this every few months and each time I'm still in awe. The quintessential performer of this song, understanding what Sondheim intended.

May be the best version I’ve ever heard.

No matter who is singing, this is one of the most beautiful, sad, deeply moving songs ever written.

Magnificent Dame Judi Dench. That is a statement of fact! Her performance here, as usual, is amazing. This is the way Sondheim meant it to be conveyed.

I had the great pleasure of interviewing both Judi Dench and Stephen Sondheim when I worked in London's West Theatre. Theatres will be dark this weekend as a mark of respect following the news that Stephen Sondheim died this evening, age 91.

Dame Judi is amazingly beautiful and we are all so lucky to have this to enjoy. She should be cherished ❤

Just when I thought I have heard enough versions of this song, I come upon this gem. It literately brought tears to my eyes.

The clowns that think she’s making a bad effort at this piece,she one of the very best actors in the world. That’s what she’s doing utter class. Watch her a lady Macbeth with Ian mckellen. Pure genius. Regards. John h

This fantastic performance is exactly the reason they made Judy a Dame. She was brilliant playing M in the Bond movies,especially her moving last scene.

I LOVE THIS WOMAN What a STAR!!!

RIP Mr. Sondheim. Thanks for the music.

She can wring so much emotion with each word, with each pause. So empathetic and human. So much talent. So many feels. I love this.

a nine year old video, but the woman does now and always has taken my breath away. She is what the performing arts is all about. I think she is one of the greatest actresses of our time.

One of my favouite ladies, and my favourite song!

You can find multiple video clips of her singing this over the years, but this is by far the most poignant, most human performance there is - brings tears to my eyes every time. Brava.

I love her. She's so amazing. She should perform more often thank you Dame Judy. You are a treasure for the years

She's magic! I have no words.... Long live, Dame Judi Dench!

I saw her perform this when she was on stage at the National and it was as mesmerising as it is here. She is note perfect and emotionally spot on too.

Beautiful!

My God....one could hear a pin drop while she sang. She had them after her first sentence! Sondheim was and is never concerned with one's voice. He once said "save the vocal beauty for other singers on their CD's. All I want is the audiences attention and appreciation.....regardless of the vocal brilliance from the singers." " I want the audience to walk out of the theater saying they loved EVERYTHING THEY JUST SAW AND HEARD.....not just any particular performer. PERFORMANCE...YES---PERFORMER ...NO."

Oh my..this is how to interpret a song ..wonderful judi dench

This is so Beautifull!!! Cant stop crying!

So glad I found this on RU-vid. I feel blessed to hear this.

"To flirt with rescue, when one has no intention of being saved." This whole notion is why I'm here. I'm grateful Dench's performance is here. It helps me hang on by that most tenuous of threads.

Bloody hell... I don't think I have ever heard a better version of this.wow.😢so powerful.

This is the quintessential version of this song. Thanks for posting.

Stunning performance from Dame Judy..

Well she sang it six nights a week and on a matinee for nearly a year back in 1995/6 at the National. Got an Olivier I think. Went to see it with my then missus. Never cared much for the song when belted out by some diva, but Dench nailed it then and she does it again here...

Simply stunning and awesome, one voice holding the whole of the audience in the palms of her hands. You don't blink or look away from that performance for one single second.

This performance is exquisite. Never fails to move me and choke me up

My favorite version of one of my favorite Sondheim songs. Thank you, Dame Judy.

Judi's rendition is my very favorite. The emotion you see on her face half sells the song. A song in a musical is there to advance the story, to explore more of the character's emotions than mere words can convey. Judi was told before she did Cabaret that she could not be taught to be a great singer but she could learn how to "put over a song". This performance proves she did indeed learn how to put over a song. She is a great dame.

Love Judi and her infinite character. She gives such expression to this sensitive song.

A beautiful story teller..she can emote more than most singers…no movement..just those engaged eyes..focused on the unseen…and a voice built to take people on journeys! The break of her voice in that last word…divinity!

She's absolutely wonderful, I adore her!

Wow! Before watching this performance, I was already a great fan of Judi Dench. Now, my passion increased even more.

She performed this song magnificently.

She understands the specificity of musical theatre. She’s an ennobling force for theatrical arts. What a blessing she is. And how deeply she should be applauded.

This song captures my mood exactly today.. 😢 a beautiful moving and heart felt version of this heart wrenching song 💔

She has understood that she just has to 'be' Desiree and let the song and emotion well up from deep inside. Total identification with the piece.

I just love her so much .. she’s not a singer .. she’s definitely performing it .. love her !!!

This is such a powerful performance. I adore this woman.

I watched Judi Dench perform this song at the National theatre in London in the mid 1990’s during the run of Sondheim’s ‘A Little Night Music’. I will never forget her performance, which was outstanding. I wrote her a letter of appreciation afterwards, and she kindly responded. I will always keep this letter. If you get the chance to see Judi Dench on stage, get yourself a ticket at all costs!