GIANT

I was lucky enough to see this at The Royal Court and it was unforgettable. John Lithgow transforms into a complex, curmudgeonly Roald Dahl and leaves you with your jaw on the floor by the play\'s end. Sophisticated in its writing, Giant is deceptively witty, haunting and timely.

This is Proper play with a capital P. John Lithgow as Roald Dahl is spellbinding. Irascible, charming, controlling, and capricious, he owns the stage. The character’s intellectual agility belies his humanity, to which Lithgow brings great physicality. The play is set in the summer of 1983, when a review by Dahl of a book about Israel’s conduct in the Lebanon War was deemed to be anti-Semitic and provoked ire. The conflict between Dahl and his American publisher, Jessie Stone, ratchets up the drama. She is Jewish, of course, female, and a different generation. They try for common ground, but with limited success. This is more the Dahl of those warped short stories for adults than the avuncular writer for children. Stone’s commercial concerns could be dismissed as American, and they tilt at our modern culture wars. But can we still enjoy the books if we dislike the man Dahl? Is a public author allowed private views? What weight do they carry? It is a thunderously good Royal Court début for author Mark Rosenblatt, a seasoned director, who gets to the heart of questioning not whether Dahl was an antisemite but what is antisemitism. Nicholas Hytner directs with his usual class, and Bob Crowley’s design is consistently strong. Everything makes for an impressive cocktail. Back outside comes the news of Israeli rockets over Lebanon again. The topicality of the play is startling.

Queued for an hour to get returns for this play at the Royal Court. I would have queued several more. This is everything that theatre should be! Simply, not one dull second and sits with you well after the show ends. GO!!!!

I first saw Giant at the Royal Court before its ‘transfer’* to the Harold Pinter; *I’m aware this is wanky theatre speak equivalent to saying the top you’ve just been complimented on is ‘vintage’. Giant 2.0 was even more enjoyable than Giant 1.0. There is nothing quite like seeing a theatrical exploration of Roald Dahl’s antisemitism with your father, godfather & his daughter. Interval & post show discussions were as juicy & sticky as James’s Giant 🍑. The p words (‘prescient’ & pertinent’) are oft over & misused when discussing art but shucks this show really is both those things in spades. Nay, buckets. Plays that entertain & make you think but don’t preach are in short supply so do see this one. Now!

At times difficult to watch, this play charters a day in the life of Roald Dahl following accusations of anti semitism. Lithgow is phenomenal as Dahl