<P> Sondheim wrote the song specifically for the actress Glynis Johns , who created the role of Desirée on Broadway . The song is structured with four verses and a bridge , and uses a complex compound meter . It became Sondheim 's most popular song after Frank Sinatra recorded it in 1973 and Judy Collins ' version charted in 1975 and 1977 . Subsequently , numerous other artists recorded the song , and it has become a jazz standard . </P>
who sang the original song send in the clowns
the actress Glynis Johns