‘Cursed Child’ Wins Six Awards at The Tony Awards 2018!

Jun 11, 2018

Posted by: Emma Pocock

19 Years Later, Anthony Boyle, Broadway, Christine Jones, Gareth Fry, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Honors/Awards, J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, John Tiffany, Katrina Lindsay, Neil Austin, News, Noma Dumezweni, Sam Clemmett, Sonia Friedman, Steven Hoggett, Stuart Craig, Theater, Theater Round-Up

The 72nd annual Tony Awards took place last night (June 10th) at Radio City Music Hall, and broadcast live on CBS. After sweeping the Olivier Awards on the West End, the cast, crew and creative on Cursed Child once again proved their might, by clearing out at the Tonys!

The production received TEN nominations in total, including Best Play. Other nominations were received by Noma Dumezweni for Best Featured Actress in a Play, Anthony Boyle for Best Featured Actor, Jamie Parker for Best Leading Actor in a Play, John Tiffany for Best Director, Katrina Lindsay for Best Costume Design of a Play, Steven Hoggett for Best Choreography, Gareth Fry for Best Sound Design of a Play, Christine Jones for Best Scenic Design of a Play, and Neil Austin for Best Lighting Design of a Play.

After countless interviews, features and preparation, the evening of the awards arrived, and before they knew it the people behind Cursed Child were on the red carpet!

Take a look at our interviews with playwright Jack Thorne, director John Tiffany, co-producers Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender and J.K. Rowling herself at the official opening of Cursed Child on Broadway here.

Sam Clemmett (Albus Severus Potter) was having a little trouble with his bow-tie before the ceremony:

Noma Dumezweni (Hermione Granger) can basically do anything, so we’re sure she could’ve helped him. Here she is arriving at the venue, along with the Anthony Boyle (Scorpius Malfoy) and Paul Thornley (Ron Weasley)

James Howard (Draco Malfoy on the West End) took to Twitter to wish the globetrotting company all the best, in true Hogwarts – well, Palace Theatre – fashion:

As did West End actor Tom Milligan, who portrayed James Potter (and another familiar character, whose name would be a spoiler to reveal):

Variety asked Noma Dumezweni on the red carpet about the political implications of the play, and whether Donald Trump should see the show. Her reply emphasised the importance of being seen, and how J.K. Rowling’s stories contribute to this message:

“We, all as human beings, are fighting to be connected. If you’re not seen and not heard, that’s where dangerous stuff happens. That’s where people under the radar do very cruel things.”

“That’s what this play is about. “It’s about bringing things into the light. Letting your light shine. This is what J.K. has always been about. Let the darkness out into the light. That’s why i’m very proud to be here telling this story right now. Those things are very important.”

Jamie Parker spoke to BroadwayWorld about his “very English” goals as a young actor, and says he’s pleased to say his horizons have broadened since then! His interview starts around the 38:19:00 mark in their livestream:

Then it was time to find out who’d be taking home the awards! Out of ten Tony nominations, Cursed Child won six, which is a huge achievement. First up was Katrina Lindsay, winning Best Costume Design of a Play:

Next up, Christine Jones, who won Best Scenic Design of a Play:

Neil Austin won Best Lighting Design of a Play. “I’m a guest in this country – it’s a great honor to come and work here,” he told BroadwayWorld. “I’m the muggle in the group! […] I fell in love with Harry Potter as I did the show”. Austin also designed the lighting on RED, and won a Tony for his work on the original run of the show on Broadway in 2010, which starred Fantastic Beasts star Eddie Redmayne (Newt Scamander). The show’s revival is currently running on London’s West End, and stars Harry Potter‘s Alfred Enoch (Dean Thomas). Read our review of RED, and find out how to get tickets here.

Gareth Fry won Best Sound Design. He told BroadwayWorld that winning a Tony Award was a special moment, and that winning an award for Cursed Child was particularly special, as audiences are particularly “emotionally invested” in the story and characters on stage:

John Tiffany won Best Director of a Play, and thanked Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender during his speech for convincing him to take the job. He also wanted to share his award with Steven Hoggett, who he’s worked with for 30 years. To finish, Tiffany demonstrated his directorial talents, by getting the audience to sing happy birthday to his boyfriend!

And finally, the highest honour of the night – Best Play – went to Cursed Child:

Unfortunately, Jack Thorne’s acceptance speech was cut off by music, but rest assured it was a good’un! Later on Twitter he took time to thank everybody involved in the production, as well as “incredible witch”, J.K. Rowling, who called Cursed Child “one of the happiest creative experiences” of her life:

Sonia Friedman spoke about her dress breaking, standing at the microphone for her acceptance speech, and not getting in half of what she wanted to say:

“I would have talked about mum, and legacy, because the play is about legacy. How you deal with legacy, and how you deal with the hand you’ve been given. I would’ve liked to have said thanks to my mum, for dealing me the hand that I’ve got”

Watch the rest of what she would have said, and her hopes for Cursed Child audiences, in BroadwayWorld’s interview below:

Although Jamie Parker lost to Andrew Garfield (Angels in America), Noma Dumezweni lost to Laurie Metcalf (Three Tall Women), Anthony Boyle lost to Nathan Lane (Angels in America), and Steven Hogged lost to Justin Peck (Carousel), their triumphs in being nominated are well worth congratulating! Another highlight of the night was Jamie Parker announcing Patti Lupone’s performance, dressed as Harry Potter himself:

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You can see his whole spellbinding introduction here:

Congratulations to the cast, creatives and crew who continue to work so tirelessly on making Cursed Child the award-winning, record breaking show that it is! Have you seen the show yet? Are you seeing it any time soon? Let us know in the comments!





The Leaky Cauldron is not associated with J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any of the individuals or companies associated with producing and publishing Harry Potter books and films.