"Don't you love farce? My fault, I fear. I thought that you'd want what I want. Sorry, my dear." Yes, "Send in the Clowns" is sung to death but my God is it exquisite character writing (esp. the way Sondheim sets that second line on the music)
Desiree is so sure her plan is going to work she is wholly unprepared for Fredrik to oh-so-delicately tell her no. Hers is the most elegant and poignant reaction to rejection I've seen in a musical. Here's Jean Simmons in the ALNM national tour: youtube.com/watch?v=OlBTQI…
I had a *lot* of issues with Trevor Nunn's Lutheran penance revival of Night Music but Bernadette's "Send in the Clowns" scene made me weep quietly for literally fifteen minutes. x.com/crystal8892990…
@kevinddaly It was the perfect storm of Things That Make Me Cry