"Marvin at the Psychiatrist" ends on a somber note, as the previous comedy of the song fades away and the back-and-forth dialogue between Marvin and Jason reveal a rather sad depiction of a father and son growing apart.
Trina's rant against the patriarchy in "Trina's Song."
Even sadder when you watch the video Betsy Wolfe (Cordelia) took backstage during the performance the day after Trump's 2016 election. Stephanie J. Block (Trina) is obviously near tears, and the line "Happy, frightened men who rule the world/Charming, stupid men/Silly, childish jerks" got applause.
The end of "The Chess Game," as Marvin walks offstage...and comes back with Whizzer's suitcase.
"The Games I Play," where Whizzer emotionally decides to let go of Marvin and find someone he can truly love, who isn't "off playing family charades."
"Marvin Hits Trina." Even worse in the proshot, where we see Trina's tearful reaction when Marvin tries to apologize.
For returning viewers, the music at the start of Act II (which ends up repeated in the final song of the show) can provoke tears all by itself.
Pretty much the entire show from "Something Bad is Happening" on.
Dr. Charlotte introduces her firsthand experience with the AIDS crisis in New York, making particular mention of how little attention the spread of this deadly disease is getting.
Whizzer's fall during racquetball, which was a game he dominated not even five songs ago. The proshot adds to this, as in the lead-in to "Holding to the Ground," you can quietly hear Dr. Charlotte tell Marvin that the hospital will be keeping Whizzer overnight, to which Marvin lets out a quiet, devastating "What?"
Mendel gets two devastating verses in "Cancelling the Bar Mitzvah," where he becomes the voice of reason when it comes to how this tragedy will affect Jason, and is also the first to admit that there's a possibility that Whizzer might not make it.
"Unlikely Lovers," where Marvin, Whizzer, Charlotte, and Cordelia gather in Whizzer's hospital room to express their love for each other. The song is incredibly heartwarming, but takes on a quietly somber tone at the end.
"Something Bad is Happening (Reprise)," where Charlotte explains the impact of the disease, implying that Marvin most likely has the virus as well.
In some productions, he lets out a quiet "Fuck..."
"You Gotta Die Sometime," where Whizzer tries (and fails) to calm himself down as it becomes clear he won't be leaving the hospital.
Special mention goes to Andrew Rannells's performance in the proshot, where he scans the room during the final lines, growing more and more panicked by the second.
Everything culminates in Jason's bar mitzvah, where Marvin and Jason finally reconnect, and the family is whole again...for just about one minute.
Special mention goes to Brandon Uranowitz (Mendel) trying desperately to hold back tears in his final lines on the cast album.
In the proshot, after Jason finishes his recitation, Whizzer stands up, obviously in pain, grabs Jason's shoulder, and whispers "Thank you." Even Jason is near tears.
"What Would I Do," where Marvin and Whizzer get one last conversation with each other as Whizzer dies. "Once I was told that good men get better with age/We're just gonna skip that stage..."
And then the show closes with one last verse from Mendel, to which Marvin breaks down in tears. The family comes to console him, and they all watch as Jason removes a king chess piece from his pocket and places it on Whizzer's grave.
Even sadder when you remember that Jason and Whizzer played chess in the hospital together, and Jason insisted on letting Whizzer win. In surrendering the king, Whizzer wins at chess one last time.
