‘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 fucking 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.
The play was first performed to great acclaim at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 2024, directed by Nicholas Hytner with a cast including John Lithgow as Dahl. It transferred to the West End the following year, and won the Olivier and Critics’ Circle Awards for Best New Play.
‘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
‘Astonishingly good’
— Financial Times
‘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
‘Startling… one heck of a debut play – well-made and sturdy, exquisitely tense, and scrupulously fair’
— Time Out
‘There can’t be a more timely play on the London stage right now. Or better written’
— Mail on Sunday
Best New Play, Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards
Best New Play, Olivier Awards
Most Promising Playwright, Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards
