History TearJerker / Theater

* ''LaTraviata''. At first, it looks as if it's just going to have a tragic ending, with the main character hoping to the last that her lover will return to her- in vain because she is dying of TB. They twist the knife by having the lover return (improbably), just in time for the character to die after a happy reunion scene.

* Harper's closing speech in ''AngelsInAmerica'':

* {{TearJerker/If/Then}}

* {{TearJerker/IfThen}}

* The original use of ChekhovsGun in TheSeagull: "Get her out of here. Whatever you have to do, get her out. The fact of the matter is, [[spoiler:Konstantin]] has shot himself."

[[folder:Next to Normal]]
* ''NextToNormal'' - More than half the damn show.
** "I Dreamed a Dance"
** "A Light in the Dark"
** "How Could I Ever Forget?"
---> "A moment of dread... someone simply said, your child is...."
** "A Promise", especially to those of us who appreciate the nod to Nice Guys
** "Maybe (Next To Normal)"
** the reprise of "Perfect For You"
** "So Anyway" gets a special mention
** the reprise of "I Am The One"
---> '''Dan:''' [[spoiler: "Gabe. Gabriel." Gabe: "Hi, Dad." (cue waterworks)]]
** "Didn't I See This Movie?"
** "Wish I Were Here"
** "Everything Else" is particularly heartwrenching. You can hear the desperation and borderline hysteria in Natalie's voice as she sings. The tears begin to creep up at
---> You play 'til it's perfect,
---> You play 'til you ache,
---> You play 'til the strings or your fingernails break.
** The whole damn show makes me cry.
** The whole show is one big huge tearjerker.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Man of La Mancha]]
* Quite a few bits in ''ManOfLaMancha'', particularly [[spoiler:when Alonso Quijana dies. The fact that he dies in a state of euphoria doesn't help matters.]]
* The sum total of the last two scenes, from [[spoiler:Aldonza's rendition of "The Impossible Dream," when Quixote remembers who he is and stands triumphantly, to Quijana's death, to Cervantes walking toward the Inquisition while everyone else sings the reprise ... sobbing. Like a little girl.]]
* "What Do You Want of Me?" and "The Impossible Dream."
---> This is my quest, to follow that star!
---> No matter how hopeless, no matter how far...
* "The Impossible Dream".
* ''Aldonza''
---> '''Aldonza''': You have shown me the sky/But what good is the sky to a creature who will never do better than crawl?/Of all the cruel bastards who badger and batter me, ''you'' are the cruelest of all!
[[/folder]]

* Surprisingly, there's one in Mamma Mia. "Slipping Through My Fingers."

* "Slipping Through My Fingers" and "The Winner Takes it All" from {{Mamma Mia}}

* ''PassingStrange'' has so many great tear-jerking moments like the end of "Keys" and Youth and his Mom's [[spoiler: last telephone call]].

---> '''Aldonza''': You have shown me the sky/But what good is the sky to a creature who will do no better than crawl?/Of all the cruel bastards who badger and batter me, ''you'' are the cruelest of all!

** There is also "Leo's Testimony" where he makes an impassioned defense despite his attorney trying to convince Leo to take the fifth. [[Spoiler: Not that it does him any good.]]

--> '''Frankie''': It don't make sense to me that she won't be around/No, it don't make sense to me to put her in the cold and lonely ground/And no, it don't make sense the way the world will let you fall/I swear it don't make sense to me at all."

* TearJerker/Assassins