Judi Dench sings Stephen Sondheim’s “Send in the Clowns” from the musical A Little Night Music (1973). Dench starred as Desiree in the musical’s 1995 revival at the National Theatre. The role helped Dench to earn an unprecedented double, taking the Olivier award for Best Actress in a Musical in the same year as the prize for Best Actress in a Play, which she won for playing a London drinking club hostess in Rodney Ackland’s Absolute Hell, also at the National Theatre.
National Theatre: 50 Years on Stage airs Friday, February 14, 2014, at 9 pm ET on PBS (check local listings).
