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
"'Enthralling... we'll be lucky to encounter a more thought-provoking play in the next decade. Mark Rosenblatt's debut drama really is that good... I have run out of superlatives'"
