"
Send in the Clowns" is a
song written by
Stephen Sondheim for the 1973
musical A Little Night Music, an adaptation of
Ingmar Bergman's film
Smiles of a Summer Night. It is a
ballad from Act II in which the character Desirée reflects on the ironies and disappointments of her life. Among other things, she looks back on an affair years earlier with the lawyer Fredrik. Meeting him after so long, she finds that he is now in an
unconsummated marriage with a much younger woman. Desirée proposes marriage to rescue him from this situation, but he declines, citing his dedication to his bride. Reacting to his rejection, Desirée sings this song. The song is later reprised as a
coda after Fredrik's young wife runs away with his son, and Fredrik is finally free to accept Desirée's offer.