2018 Tony Awards: Social Media Mesmerized by Dramatic Magic Trick

The Tony Awards had an extra dose of magic this year, as hosts Sara Barellis and Josh Groban both [...]

By Connor Casey

The Tony Awards had an extra dose of magic this year, as hosts Sara Barellis and Josh Groban both showed off a few tricks in honor of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child's arrival on Broadway.

Barellis started off with a few simple spells with her wand, including lighting it up with the "Lumos" spell and casting fire with "Incendio."

Gorban then kicked things up a notch with a trick of his own. He managed to pull off a disappearing act with some shrouds and was replaced onstage by Cursed Child actor Jamie Parker.

"What a great magic trick!!!!" one fan wrote.

"THAT MAGIC TRICK WAS AWESOME!" wrote another.

"Is it weird that a magic trick made me cry? So dramatic. So good."

Parker has played the adult version of Potter ever since the original West End production in London debuted in 2016. In 2018 the same production was brought to the Lyric Theatre on Broadway in New York City.

Billed as the eighth installment in the Harry Potter franchise, The Cursed Child revolves around the children of Potter, Hermoine Granger, Ron Weasley and Draco Malfoy.

The story follows Albus Potter, Harry's second oldest, as he teams up with Scorpius Malfoy as they travel through time to try and prevent Cedric Diggory from being killed in the events that led to the resurrection of Lord Voldemort (which took place at the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire).

But for all the good intentions the two have, they end up aligning themselves with someone who has a very specific relationship to the Dark Lord and end up making the situation infinitely worse. All the while the original trio of heroes try to reunite with their children and help save the Wizarding World once again.

The production later won the award for Best Play.

Earlier in the evening, actress Noma Dumezweni (who plays Granger in the production) made waves on the red carpet when she said President Donald Trump would be "not welcome" at the show.

"We as all human beings are fighting to be connected, but especially to be seen. When you're not seen or not heard, that's when dangerous stuff happens," she explained in an interview with Variety. "That's when people under the radar do very cruel things. And that's what this play is about. It's about bringing things into the light, letting your light shine. This is what's J.K.'s always been about. Let the darkness out and into the light. And that's why I'm very proud to be here and telling this story right now because those things are very important."

The 2018 Tony Awards took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York on Sunday.

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