A couple that people haven't mentioned that really got me are the Everlasting Ballet from Tuck Everlasting and "Words Fail" from Dear Evan Hansen.
Broadway Star Joined: 12/2/06
When Burr screams "WAIT" right after making that fatal shot... and everything follows.
Time from Tuck Everlasting
Left Behind from SA
And the last 2 minutes of cabaret. Not really a crying sad, but definitely a surprising and depressing sad.
Understudy Joined: 2/3/16
This thread is the saddest moment in history of theatre.
reading through all the replies while playing out the scenes in my head is a long journey of emotions and crying.
godlessondheimite2 said: "Pretty much from "Days and Days" onward, Fun Home becomes a free-fall of sadness and it's magnificent.
"I was a total wreck too. I just watched it again last weekend and Michael Cerveris was more emotional that I remembered him to be when I first watched him a year ago. so when he sang The edges of the World I was bawling. And I thought Judy Khun's understudy was magnificent. But of course nothing beats Telephone Wire for me. The moment when the father asked big Alison instead of Medium Alison if she wanna go for a ride... God that just kills me. I hope I can watch it again in September.
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/10/11
-- The scene following Philip's death in Hamilton
Cosette's death, as played by Frances Ruffelle...followed by JVJ's death scene at the end of Act 2
-- Cyrano's death scene in Cyrano. Christopher Plummer gave one of the greatest performances I have ever seen in any category / performing art type
-- When Your Feet Don't Touch the Ground, following Sylvia's death in FN. Don't smirk...the prior scene and that scene were great.
-- The King's death scene, particularly in the Donna Murphy / Lou Diamond Phillips version.
-- Julie singing Bill, particularly in the Lincoln Center version in which Constance Towers, otherwise a limited actress, gave a great performance
-- Fiddler from Anatevka to the curtain falling
-- The ending of Bloodbrothers
-- Send in the Clowns, as sung by Bernadette Peters and Glynis Johns
Will Rogers walking into the light in The Will Rogers Follies.
the WAIT scream before Hamilton gets shot
when Eponine sings on my own
When Collins says it's over & I'll cover you reprise in RENT
the end of for good in Wicked
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
One of Andrew Lloyd Webber's lesser known musicals was once called THE BEAUTIFUL GAME ( now retitled as THE BOYS FROM THE PHOTOGRAPH). It was probably one of the saddest musicals ever written as the the central theme revolved around the effect of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland on the lives of the young boys who played the beautiful game ( of soccer football). And the unexpected saddest moment for me was when two young women sing about leaving one's homeland because of the effect of the conflict on their lives. The plight of immigrants is also a subtheme as it was both for political and economic reasons which were driving them away from their native land. It is a very beautiful and poignant song -- GOD'S OWN COUNTRY!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKic0giL86I
For me personally, definitely “Telephone Wire” in Fun Home. Specifically, when she says the final line, “That was our last night…” That’s the most I’ve ever cried during a show. And then when they do “Flying Away”…man, there’s a lot of emotions going on at the end of that show. Gets me every time.
Edit: also wanted to add, right before "Telephone Wire" when he acknowledges older Alison instead of Medium Alison...that's where the welling-up begins.
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