<Dd> But the problem is, what would you do?: Would you go, "Isn't it rich? (two, three) Are we a pair? (two, three) Me here at last on the ground (three), you in mid-air ." Lenny (Bernstein) taught me to think in terms of, "Do you really need the extra beat (after' ground') or not ." Just because you've got four bars of four, if you come across a bar that doesn't need the extra beat, then put a bar of three in . So...the 9 (beat bars) and 12 (beat bars) that alternate in that song were not so much consciously arrived at as they were by the emotionality of the lyric . </Dd> <P> "Send in the Clowns" is performed in two completely different styles: dramatic and lyric . The dramatic style is the theatrical performance by Desirée, and this style emphasizes Desirée's feelings of anger and regret, and the dramatic style acts as a cohesive part of the play . The lyric style is the concert performance, and this style emphasizes the sweetness of the melody and the poetry of the lyrics . Most performances are in concert, so they emphasize the beauty of the melody and lyrics . </P> <P> Sondheim teaches both dramatic and lyric performers several important elements for an accurate rendition: </P> <P> The dramatic performer must take on the character of Desirée: a woman who finally realizes that she has misspent her youth on the shallow life . She is both angry and sad, and both must be seen in the performance . Two important examples are the contrast between the lines, "Quick, send in the clowns" and "Well, maybe next year ." Sondheim teaches that the former should be steeped in self - loathing, while the latter should emphasize regret . Thus, the former is clipped, with a break between "quick" and "send," while the latter "well" is held pensively . </P>

Where are the clowns send in the clowns lyrics