Tonic Jukebox History
WEEK ELEVEN - JESTERS and CLOWNS
They make us smile and laugh, but behind many clowns there is a sadness.
The men and women who make people laugh for a living often struggle with mental health challenges offstage that are hardly a laughing matter.
And very often comedy and tragedy are in close proximity on stage.
But let’s start with some high quality clowning.
The men and women who make people laugh for a living often struggle with mental health challenges offstage that are hardly a laughing matter.
And very often comedy and tragedy are in close proximity on stage.
But let’s start with some high quality clowning.
Monday May 25
Be a Clown (Cole Porter)
The Pirate [1948]
Gene Kelly with The Nicholas Brothers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-MrAo8-1jw
Make 'Em Laugh (Brown/Freed)
Singin’ in the Rain [1952]
Donald O’Connor
A wonderful routine in a great movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lO-FXFfhsEc
(from Bryan) ‘Make 'em laugh’ was written afterwards, and bears an obvious close relationship to the ‘Be a Clown’. Everyone knew that at the time, but no one was prepared to tell Arthur Freed who produced Singing in the Rain and wrote the lyrics that it was TOO close.
Many think that The Nicholas Brothers were the greatest tap dancers of their generation and that this was their best ever sequence:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNKRm6H-qOU
Tuesday May 26
Pagliacci (Leoncavallo)
The most famous clown in all of opera.
Two excerpts for you.
Vesti la giubba (Put on the costume)
Placido Domingo
Canio must put on his costume and play the part of a clown, even though his heart is breaking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hxonfpfuTY
No, pagliaccio non son (No, I am not a clown)
Placido Domingo
As the story reaches its conclusion tragedy strikes.
The final line in one of the most famous in all opera:
La Commedia è finita! (The comedy is finished)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzEoTVyWjXk
Wednesday May 27
What Kind Of Fool Am I? (Bricusse and Newley)
Stop the World I Want To Get Off [1961]
Anthony Newley
A ground breaking musical from the 1960s and one of my favourites.
The central character, Littlechap, was portrayed throughout (in the original production) by Newley as a white face clown.
In this song he looks back on his life with regrets.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z09CSDQN9M
Thursday May 28
Povero Rigoletto
From Rigoletto (Verdi)
Rigoletto thinks his daughter has been kidnapped by the courtiers.
Despite his position as court jester, he is a sad and angry character, disliked by the courtiers.
The only good thing in his life is his daughter, Gilda.
He pleads for her return “pietà” he sings, “pity”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JULs5RoCEgM
Friday May 29
Send in the Clowns (from A Little Night Music, Sondheim)
Judi Dench
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvZex3Qf7QQ
The ‘clowns’ in the title do not refer to circus clowns.
Instead, they symbolise fools, as Sondheim explained in a 1990 interview:
I get a lot of letters over the years asking what the title means and what the song's about; I never thought it would be in any way esoteric. I wanted to use theatrical imagery in the song, because she's an actress, but it's not supposed to be a circus [...] It's a theatre reference meaning "if the show isn't going well, let's send in the clowns"; in other words, "let's do the jokes." I always want to know, when I'm writing a song, what the end is going to be, so "Send in the Clowns" didn't settle in until I got the notion, "Don't bother, they're here", which means that "We are the fools.” (Wikipedia)
Weekend May 30/31
Last scene of The Yeoman of the Guard (Gilbert and Sullivan)
In the pantheon of operatic jesters, alongside Rigoletto and Pagliacci, we find Jack Point.
Pagliacci killed his wife and Rigoletto inadvertently had his daughter murdered, but Jack Point is a jester who actually dies.
A tragic end for a comic opera.
Point is, as he himself says earlier in the opera, “a pretty pretty wit”.
He travels with Elsie Maynard, who he intends to marry, but the plot takes a strange turn and she finds herself married to another. In the last scene of the opera, Jack pleads for her to return to him, reprising their duet from the earlier part of the opera, ‘I have a song to sing, O!’. At first she appears to be returning to him but then turns away leaving him heartbroken. (spoiler alert) This is the most dramatic end of any G&S opera, Jack Point actually dying of a broken heart.
Tommy Steele in 1978:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI9njpT7c74
And now me in 1980:
Apologies for the quality of the video. It was early days for recording amateur productions.
You may have to turn up the sound on YouTube.
This was the part I wanted to play above all others and got this opportunity in 1980 in a production by Brent Opera.
https://youtu.be/LRFshb_QcXk
Be a Clown (Cole Porter)
The Pirate [1948]
Gene Kelly with The Nicholas Brothers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-MrAo8-1jw
Make 'Em Laugh (Brown/Freed)
Singin’ in the Rain [1952]
Donald O’Connor
A wonderful routine in a great movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lO-FXFfhsEc
(from Bryan) ‘Make 'em laugh’ was written afterwards, and bears an obvious close relationship to the ‘Be a Clown’. Everyone knew that at the time, but no one was prepared to tell Arthur Freed who produced Singing in the Rain and wrote the lyrics that it was TOO close.
Many think that The Nicholas Brothers were the greatest tap dancers of their generation and that this was their best ever sequence:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNKRm6H-qOU
Tuesday May 26
Pagliacci (Leoncavallo)
The most famous clown in all of opera.
Two excerpts for you.
Vesti la giubba (Put on the costume)
Placido Domingo
Canio must put on his costume and play the part of a clown, even though his heart is breaking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hxonfpfuTY
No, pagliaccio non son (No, I am not a clown)
Placido Domingo
As the story reaches its conclusion tragedy strikes.
The final line in one of the most famous in all opera:
La Commedia è finita! (The comedy is finished)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzEoTVyWjXk
Wednesday May 27
What Kind Of Fool Am I? (Bricusse and Newley)
Stop the World I Want To Get Off [1961]
Anthony Newley
A ground breaking musical from the 1960s and one of my favourites.
The central character, Littlechap, was portrayed throughout (in the original production) by Newley as a white face clown.
In this song he looks back on his life with regrets.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z09CSDQN9M
Thursday May 28
Povero Rigoletto
From Rigoletto (Verdi)
Rigoletto thinks his daughter has been kidnapped by the courtiers.
Despite his position as court jester, he is a sad and angry character, disliked by the courtiers.
The only good thing in his life is his daughter, Gilda.
He pleads for her return “pietà” he sings, “pity”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JULs5RoCEgM
Friday May 29
Send in the Clowns (from A Little Night Music, Sondheim)
Judi Dench
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvZex3Qf7QQ
The ‘clowns’ in the title do not refer to circus clowns.
Instead, they symbolise fools, as Sondheim explained in a 1990 interview:
I get a lot of letters over the years asking what the title means and what the song's about; I never thought it would be in any way esoteric. I wanted to use theatrical imagery in the song, because she's an actress, but it's not supposed to be a circus [...] It's a theatre reference meaning "if the show isn't going well, let's send in the clowns"; in other words, "let's do the jokes." I always want to know, when I'm writing a song, what the end is going to be, so "Send in the Clowns" didn't settle in until I got the notion, "Don't bother, they're here", which means that "We are the fools.” (Wikipedia)
Weekend May 30/31
Last scene of The Yeoman of the Guard (Gilbert and Sullivan)
In the pantheon of operatic jesters, alongside Rigoletto and Pagliacci, we find Jack Point.
Pagliacci killed his wife and Rigoletto inadvertently had his daughter murdered, but Jack Point is a jester who actually dies.
A tragic end for a comic opera.
Point is, as he himself says earlier in the opera, “a pretty pretty wit”.
He travels with Elsie Maynard, who he intends to marry, but the plot takes a strange turn and she finds herself married to another. In the last scene of the opera, Jack pleads for her to return to him, reprising their duet from the earlier part of the opera, ‘I have a song to sing, O!’. At first she appears to be returning to him but then turns away leaving him heartbroken. (spoiler alert) This is the most dramatic end of any G&S opera, Jack Point actually dying of a broken heart.
Tommy Steele in 1978:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI9njpT7c74
And now me in 1980:
Apologies for the quality of the video. It was early days for recording amateur productions.
You may have to turn up the sound on YouTube.
This was the part I wanted to play above all others and got this opportunity in 1980 in a production by Brent Opera.
https://youtu.be/LRFshb_QcXk