Giant

by Mark Rosenblatt

'I wanted to put you bang in the picture. Apprise you of the difficulties. Because, in case you hadn't noticed, he's a human boobytrap. And now, guess what, surprise surprise, boom!'
A world-famous children's author under threat. A battle of wills in the wake of scandal. And a chance to make amends…
It's the summer of 1983, The Witches is about to hit the shelves and Roald Dahl is making last-minute edits. But the outcry at his recent, explicitly antisemitic article won't die down. Across a single afternoon at his family home, and rocked by an unexpectedly explosive confrontation, Dahl is forced to make a public apology or risk his name and reputation.
Inspired by real events, Mark Rosenblatt's debut play Giant offers a nuanced portrait of a fiendishly charismatic icon – and explores with dark humour the difference between considered opinion and dangerous rhetoric.
Giant was first performed at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 2024, directed by Nicholas Hytner and starring John Lithgow as Dahl, alongside Elliot Levey, Rachael Stirling, Tessa Bonham Jones, Romola Garai and Richard Hope.
'Shocking, challenging, spectacularly good… Head-on, unflinchingly, Giant confronts the vile antisemitism of one of the most beloved children's authors of all time, while sweeping along in its ferocious cross-currents of dialogue all the pitched battles of society today… what is so good about Rosenblatt's play is that it's so tightly focused, and so colossally universal' - Evening Standard
'Subtle, intelligent and stylishly crafted… lots of well-timed jokes, but again and again, the poison seeps through… the timing of this thoroughly absorbing play could hardly have been more apt' - The Times
'Brilliant… as dark and sharp-toothed as one of Dahl's fictive monsters… sophisticated writing that speaks directly to our times… shows a necessary bravery. This is exactly what theatre is for' - Guardian
'Incendiary… a play that says things that many people may be thinking, but are too afraid to air in public. It's not simply about Dahl, it's about all of us' - Daily Mail

Genres: Plays

Paperback

Reviews

[Harry McDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my play of 2024 - an immaculate production of Rosenblatt's play, led with a titanic performance by John Lithgow, all the scarier for how utterly without strain it felt. The play so skilful, moving between Roald Dahl at his most sensitive and his most ferocious, surrounded by people with... varying intentions and motivations as to his best interests. Rosenblatt makes him so human even as he is utterly vile.

[Joel Wall · Rating 3 out of 5]

A knotty story about a very complicated man, this is an important piece that addresses Dahl's antisemitism as well as showing his support for Palestine. Obviously perhaps this would be impossible considering the basis on real life, but I would have liked there to have been another character within the play who could give legitimacy to his support of Palestine while still opposing his antisemitism, as all of the characters are either 'neutral' or pro-Israel.

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. Rosenblatt's astonishing debut play could not be more relevant. It imagines a 1983 confrontation between beloved, though decidedly cantankerous, children's author Roald Dahl, and representatives of both his British and US publishers, over the writer's controversial endorsement of a book (God Cried) condemning Israel's actions in the 1982 Lebanon war.

On the one hand, Dahl is absolutely correct in seeing Israel's actions as tantamount to genocide (sound familiar?) - but on the other, he spouts some outrageously inflammatory, sweeping and definitely antisemitic remarks about the Jewish race in general (all of which stem from Roald's actual words on record). It makes for riveting, if uncomfortable drama. Wish I could have seen the recent premiere production at the Royal Court, featuring bravura performances from John Lithgow (who bears an uncanny resemblance to the real Dahl) and Romola Garai.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/27/th...
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/202...
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/202...
https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/th...
https://www.timeout.com/london/theatr...
https://www.thetimes.com/culture/thea...

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's really a masterclass in writing a monster while making him horribly human at the same time.

I can't believe the writer started this in 2018
I can't believe this is the writer's first play.

[Clare McHugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saw the play, and bought the script in the lobby. A very powerful play, devastating about insidious anti-Semitism

[O · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterpiece. Saw it in London. Painfully good.

[Tim Grimes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful. An interesting and unsettling portrait of the famous writer

[Georgia Darwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

jealous of anyone who saw this performed 🙌

[Bobby Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good play. Through most of it, Roald walks the line of nuance between criticizing the Israeli government and its actions and actual antisemitism. But by the end, he tilts over the edge into full hatred of Jews. Not surprisingly, it's apparent that the reason is that he's never actually known any Jewish people on a personal, human level.