History SignatureScene / Theater

* ''Theatre/{{Annie}}'':
** The kids at Miss Hannigan's Home for Girls bemoaning their "Hard Knock Life".
** Annie singing "Tomorrow" and inspiring President UsefulNotes/FranklinDelanoRoosevelt.
** Annie and Daddy Warbucks' ParentalLoveSong in the finale, "I Don't Need Anything But You".
* ''Theatre/TheBookOfMormon'':
** The opening with all the Mormons singing "Hello".
** [[LyricalDissonance The Ugandan villagers singing "Hasa Diga Eebowai" ala Hakuna Matata.]]
** Elder Price trying to get a warlord to sing and dance with him in "I Believe".
* ''Theatre/ByeByeBirdie'''s signature moment is probably the "Telephone Hour" song; nothing else in the show is quite as iconic as a massive choral number where several dozen teenagers call each other to gossip, though Hugo decking Conrad on the Ed Sullivan show is close.
* ''Theatre/{{Cats}}'': [[spoiler:Grizabella's]] ascent to the Heaviside Layer.
* ''Theatre/{{Chicago}}'':
** All That Jazz
** Cellblock Tango.
* ''Theatre/DearEvanHansen'':
** The Connor Project and "You Will Be Found".
** Evan and Jared faking an email exchange between Evan and Connor in "Sincerely, Me".
* ''Theatre/DonGiovanni'': The Commendatore's statue confronting Don Giovanni and sending him to hell.
* ''Theatre/{{Elisabeth}}'':
** Der Tod invading Elisabeth's wedding to Franz Joseph.
** The recreation of the Empress' Royal Portrait at the end of Act One.
* The entire [[BalconySpeech "On the Balcony of the Casa Rosada"]] sequence in ''Music/{{Evita}}'', but particularly "Don't Cry For Me Argentina."
* ''Theatre/FunnyGirl'': A very pregnant Fanny playing a virginal bride onstage.
* The blood dripping down from the ceiling onto the sheriff in ''The Girl of the Golden West''.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwxlQewXQ4I The staircase scene/title song]] from ''Theatre/HelloDolly''.
* The "Mack Sennett Ballet" from the musical ''High Button Shoes''.
* ''Theatre/{{Gypsy}}'': Mama Rose's ElevenOClockNumber "Roses Turn", and her Act 1 Finale "Everything's Coming Up Roses".
* ''Theatre/{{Hadestown}}'': Orpheus journey to Hadestown, "Wait For Me."
* ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'':
** The opening number, which goes through the first nineteen years of Alexander Hamilton's life up to his arrival in New York.
** Hamilton aiming his pistol at the sky instead of shooting at Burr, immortalized in the show's promotional image.
* ''Theatre/{{Hairspray}}'':
** "Mama, I'm a Big Girl Now" as Tracy, Penny, and Amber lobby their respective mothers for more independence.
** "I Know Where I've Been", the emotional crux of the story.
** "You Can't Stop the Beat", the lively finale in which [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters nearly the entire ensemble]] gets a moment to shine.
* ''Theatre/IntoTheWoods'': "Agony".
* The spanking scene in ''Theatre/KissMeKate''.
* ''Theatre/LaBoheme'': The death of Mimí.
** Christine's journey to the lair by gondola.
* ''Theatre/LesMiserables''
** Fantine singing " I Dreamed A Dream", especially in the movie musical.
** Javert and Valjean's [[CounterpointDuet confrontation]].
** "One Day More"
** The death of Eponine.
** Enjolras' CrucifiedHeroShot.
* ''Theatre/{{Fences}}'': The scene where Cory asks his father Troy why Troy doesn't seem to like him, and Troy responds that he doesn't ''have'' to like him.
* ''Theatre/LittleShopOfHorrors'': Audrey II revealing that it can talk, and subsequently singing [[VillainSong "Feed Me Seymour"]].
* The famous mad scene in ''Lucia di Lammermoor'', with the BloodSplatteredWeddingDress.
* ''Theatre/MadameButterfly''
** The aria "Un bel dí."
** Cio-Cio-San's suicide.
* ''Theatre/TheMagicFlute'':
** The Queen of the Night's revenge aria.
** Tamino captivating a throng of wild animals with the flute's music.
** Papageno and Papagena's duet.
* The helicopter evacuation scene in ''Theatre/MissSaigon''.
* ''Theatre/MyFairLady'': "Move yer bloomin' arse!"
* ''Theatre/PeterPan'': Peter [[FakeInteractivity asking the audience]] to [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve clap their hands]] in order to save Tinker Bell's life.
* The chandelier crash in ''Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera''.
** Likewise, Christine and the Phantoms catacomb descent/boat ride to his candlelit lair to the Rock Anthem Title Song.
* ''Theatre/{{Pygmalion}}'': "Not bloody likely!"
* ''Theatre/{{Rent}}'': "Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes..."
* William Gillette's Theatre/SherlockHolmes escaping from Moriarty's GasChamber, using a lighted cigar butt as a ruse.
* ''Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'': The murder ballad opening number.
* ''Theatre/AStreetcarNamedDesire'' has... "'''''STELLA!!!'''''"
* ''Theatre/SwanLake'': Odile the Black Swan's astonishing ''pas de deux'' at Prince Seigfried's ball; one of the most notoriously challenging routines in all of ballet.
* Eliza crossing the ice in stage versions of ''Uncle Tom's Cabin''.
* ''Theatre/WestSideStory'':
** The [[{{Pun}} snappy]] opening that establishes the ongoing gang war between the Jets and Sharks.
** The end, where [[spoiler:in a departure of Shakespeare, Maria lives and calls out both gangs for being so consumed by hatred for all the bloodshed.]]
* ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}'':
** The song "Popular": "La, la, la, la! We're gonna make you pop-u-lar!"
** The "Defying Gravity" number: "I'm flying high, defying gravity!"
** The "For Good" song: "Because I knew you, I have been changed... [[FriendshipSong For Good.]]"
* Creator/WilliamShakespeare:
** ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'': Prince Hamlet with the skull: [[AlasPoorYorick "Alas, poor Yorick..."]]
*** Hamlet's other great speech: "To be or not to be...". In pop culture, this is frequently conflated with the above example, by having Hamlet recite the speech while holding a skull.
** ''Theatre/HenryV'': The Saint Crispin's Day speech.
** ''Theatre/JuliusCaesar'': The titular character's assassination.
** ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'': LadyMacBeth and her guilt-ridden OutDamnedSpot. {{Trope Namer}}s.
** ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice'': Portia, disguised as a lawyer, saves the day at Antonio's trial.
** ''Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream'':
*** Oberon and Robin/Puck's enchanting of Titania and Bottom.
*** Act V Scene 2, the mechanicals nonsensical play, as the court snipes at them. Followed by Puck's addressing to the audience.
** ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'': The balcony scene. "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" Interestingly enough, no balcony is mentioned in the script, only a window. The balcony just became a popular staging device because it gave Juliet more physical space to emote and be seen by the audience than a window would.
*** Romeo and Juliet committing suicide.
----

* ''Theatre/{{Chicago}}'': Cellblock Tango.

* ''Theatre/{{Gypsy}}'': Mama Rose's ElevenOClockNumber, "Everything's Coming Up Roses".

* ''Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'': The murder ballad opening number.

* ''Theatre/SweeneyToddTheDemonBarberOfFleetStreet'': The murder ballad opening number.

* ''Theatre/WestSideStory'' is bookended by the opening number "Jet Song" and the climactic rumble at the end (almost).

* ''Theatre/SwanLake'': Odile the Black Swan's astonishing ''pas de deux'' at Prince Seigfried's ball; one of the most notoriously challenging routines in all of ballet.
* ''Theatre/WestSideStory'':
** The [[{{Pun}} snappy]] opening that establishes the ongoing gang war between the Jets and Sharks.
** The end, where [[spoiler:in a departure of Shakespeare, Maria lives and calls out both gangs for being so consumed by hatred for all the bloodshed.]]
* ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}'':
** The song "Popular": "La, la, la, la! We're gonna make you pop-u-lar!"
** The "Defying Gravity" number: "I'm flying high, defying gravity!"
** The "For Good" song: "Because I knew you, I have been changed... [[FriendshipSong For Good.]]"

** The opening where all the Mormons singing "Hello".

* Theatre/{{Annie}}'':

* ''Theatre/{{Gypsy)}}'': Mama Rose's ElevenOClockNumber, "Everything's Coming Up Roses".

** ''Theatre/MacBeth'': LadyMacBeth and her guilt-ridden OutDamnedSpot. {{Trope Namer}}s.

* ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}''
** Prince Hamlet with the skull: [[AlasPoorYorick "Alas, poor Yorick..."]]
** Hamlet's other great speech: "To be or not to be..."
*** These two monologues are arguably '''the''' two signature Shakespeare moments. It's no wonder that pop culture often mixes them together in a case of BeamMeUpScotty, even though they're from different acts. Thematically appropriate too, considering the "To be or not to be" speech is about weighing the options of suicide. Juxtaposing life and death and all that.

* ''Theatre/MacBeth'': LadyMacBeth and her guilt-ridden OutDamnedSpot. {{Trope Namer}}s.

* The balcony scene from ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'': "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" Interestingly enough, no balcony is mentioned in the script, only a window. The balcony just became a popular staging device because it gave Juliet more physical space to emote and be seen by the audience than a window would.

* ''Theatre/Fences'': The scene where Cory asks his father Troy why Troy doesn't seem to like him, and Troy responds that he doesn't ''have'' to like him.

* ''Theatre/MyFairLady'': "Not bloody likely!"

* The balcony scene from ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'': "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" Interestingly enough, no balcony is mentioned in the script, only a window. The balcony just became a popular staging device because it gave Juliet more physical space to emote and be seen by the audience than a window would.
* ''Theatre/ByeByeBirdie'''s signature moment is probably the "Telephone Hour" song; nothing else in the show is quite as iconic as a massive choral number where several dozen teenagers call each other to gossip, though Hugo decking Conrad on the Ed Sullivan show is close.

* The spanking scene in ''Theatre/KissMeKate''.

* ''Theatre/{{Rent}}'': "Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes..."
* Eliza crossing the ice in stage versions of ''Uncle Tom's Cabin''.
* ''Theatre/AStreetcarNamedDesire'' has... "'''''STELLA!!!'''''"
* William Gillette's Theatre/SherlockHolmes escaping from Moriarty's GasChamber, using a lighted cigar butt as a ruse.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwxlQewXQ4I The staircase scene/title song]] from ''Theatre/HelloDolly''.
* The chandelier crash in ''Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera''.

* The helicopter evacuation scene in ''Theatre/MissSaigon''.
* The entire [[BalconySpeech "On the Balcony of the Casa Rosada"]] sequence in ''Music/{{Evita}}'', but particularly "Don't Cry For Me Argentina."

* ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}'':
** The song "Popular": "La, la, la, la! We're gonna make you pop-u-lar!"
** The "Defying Gravity" number: "I'm flying high, defying gravity!"
** The "For Good" song: "Because I knew you, I have been changed... [[FriendshipSong For Good.]]"

* ''Theatre/DonGiovanni'': The Commendatore's statue confronting Don Giovanni and sending him to hell.
* ''Theatre/LaBoheme'': The death of Mimí.
* ''Theatre/MadameButterfly''
** The aria "Un bel dí."
** Cio-Cio-San's suicide.

* ''Theatre/FunnyGirl'': A very pregnant Fanny playing a virginal bride onstage.
* ''Theatre/{{Chicago}}'': Cellblock Tango.
* ''Theatre/IntoTheWoods'': "Agony".
* ''Theatre/LesMiserables''
** Fantine singing " I Dreamed A Dream", especially in the movie musical.
** Javert and Valjean's [[CounterpointDuet confrontation]].
** "One Day More"
** The death of Eponine.
** Enjolras' CrucifiedHeroShot.
* ''Theatre/TheBookOfMormon'':
** The opening where all the Mormons singing "Hello".
** [[LyricalDissonance The Ugandan villagers singing "Hasa Diga Eebowai" ala Hakuna Matata.]]
** Elder Price trying to get a warlord to sing and dance with him in "I Believe".