  A tidal disruption event (TDE) ensues when a star passes too close to the
supermassive black hole (SMBH) in a galactic center and is ripped apart by the
tidal field of the SMBH. The gaseous debris produced in a TDE can power a
bright electromagnetic flare as it is accreted by the SMBH; so far, several
dozen TDE candidates have been observed. For SMBHs with masses above $\sim 10^7
M_\odot$, the tidal disruption of solar-type stars occurs within ten
gravitational radii of the SMBH, implying that general relativity (GR) is
needed to describe gravity. Three promising signatures of GR in TDEs are: (1) a
super-exponential cutoff in the volumetric TDE rate for SMBH masses above $\sim
10^8 M_\odot$ due to direct capture of tidal debris by the event horizon, (2)
delays in accretion disk formation (and a consequent alteration of the
early-time light curve) caused by the effects of relativistic precession on
stream circularization, and (3) quasi-periodic modulation of X-ray emission due
to global precession of misaligned accretion disks and the jets they launch. We
review theoretical models and simulations of TDEs in Newtonian gravity, then
describe how relativistic modifications give rise to these proposed
observational signatures, as well as more speculative effects of GR. We
conclude with a brief summary of TDE observations and the extent to which they
show indications of these predicted relativistic signatures.
