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Lecture series2 lectures

Showstoppers

Professor Dominic Broomfield-McHugh · Gresham College

Start with lecture 1 At Gresham College

About

'Send in the Clowns’ was probably the most commercially successful song by the revered Stephen Sondheim, yet it confounds the expectations of a showstopper, having been written for an actress of limited singing ability, the late Glynis Johns. This lecture considers the song in the context of the musical A Little Night Music, and how major singers like Frank Sinatra, Judy Collins and Sarah Vaughan came to cover it. How has a song of limited vocal range and abstract lyrics become such a favourite?

Lectures

  1. The Sondheim Showstopper: ‘Send in the Clowns’ 2024-10-17 · Audio
  2. The Operatic Showstopper: ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ 2025-05-02 · Audio

Credits and licence

Institution
Gresham College
Speaker
Professor Dominic Broomfield-McHugh
Year
2024
Level
For everyone
Language
English
Subjects
History, Art, architecture and design, Music
Source
Gresham College
Licence
Educational use (Gresham College's terms), as Gresham College states it. Gresham College's terms
Attribution
Gresham College states: "We positively encourage the use of the Gresham College lecture transcripts, audio and video files for educational purposes. However, we do not allow use of Gresham College materials for commercial, personal or institutional gain."
Who can watch
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