Giant
'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 choose: 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. It went on to win Best New Play at both the Olivier and Critics' Circle Theatre Awards in 2025, with Mark Rosenblatt also winning the Critics' Circle Most Promising Playwright Award.
Giant transfers to the West End in 2025.