This is your second chance to see the Olivier award-winning Giant in its 14-week limited run on the West End: a gripping new play that brings to light the dark views of children's author Roald Dahl in his later years.
A stirring production uncovering Roald Dahl's dark side
You might be forgiven for thinking a dead writer’s views would not provide the most gripping theatrical material, but you’d be wrong. Mark Rosenblatt’s provocative script is unafraid to air one of the most stirring debates of our time: between those sympathetic to the plight of occupied Palestine and those aligned with Israel following centuries of Jewish persecution.
Dahl, a left-leaning former Second World War fighter pilot, had a unique and decidedly problematic view on things. If you see Giant without knowing much about the author’s much-maligned views, you might find yourself forgiving his stubborn stance - at least at first.
John Lithgow, voted best actor at the Oliviers for his role, does a stellar job of distilling Roald Dahl’s sharp character. Spirited, eye-twinkling charm rises and falls like shadow theatre on his pallid face, persuasive despite an underlying menace that ramps up towards the final act.
Hollywood actor Aya Cash is a strong addition as Jessie Stone, the Jewish American publisher tasked with extracting a public apology from Dahl over a troubling book review in which he described Jewish people as a “race of cowards” following Israel’s siege of Beirut in 1982.
Stone visits Dahl’s home alongside British counterpart Tom Maschler, played by Elliot Levey, who prefers to stroke his client’s ego rather than accuse him of bigotry. The pair play well off each other - Maschler as the linen-clad voice of pragmatism, and Stone as the hard-pressed yet principled driving force of the show, deeply disturbed by Dahl’s rhetoric and unwilling to give him a pass.
What ensues is an enthralling debate that spirals when Dahl is cornered and reveals his unpleasant side – something we might revel in in his books, but less so in real life.
The production, directed by Nicholas Hytner and designed by Bob Crowley, is rich yet stripped back, centred in Dahl’s living room as it undergoes renovation. This pins the focus almost exclusively on Dahl’s hulking frame at his dining table as he frets, grumbles and points his arthritic fingers excitedly at anyone brave enough to question him.
While Dahl delights in the debate, those around him recoil and pander. Dahl’s linguistic dominance is inarguable, tilting the balance of the debate and forcing us to consider the power dynamics at play - even if Dahl himself is too big to see sense.
