The avuncular figure at the center of Mark Rosenblatt’s play at first doesn’t seem threatening at all. Not surprising, since he’s Roald Dahl, the author of such beloved children’s books as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and The BFG. As played by John Lithgow, he’s playful, charming, and kindly toward his young cook.
He’s also, as we soon learn, deeply and revoltingly antisemitic.
Giant—now on Broadway after acclaimed London runs that resulted in three Olivier Awards including Best New Play and Best Actor—proves disturbingly topical, even though it’s set more than four decades ago. Antisemitism is more prevalent than ever, and Israel is once again being accused on the world stage of slaughtering innocent civilians with its attacks on Gaza and now Lebanon. The present-day confluence provides a haunting context for this disturbing drama.
American audiences may need to do some research before seeing Giant, as the controversy surrounding Dahl will certainly be more familiar to British audiences. The play takes place during a summer day when Dahl is preparing for the release of his latest book, The Witches. But there’s a cloud over his head, caused by a book review he wrote in which he heavily criticized Israel for its 1982 siege of Beirut that resulted in thousands of deaths. But his attack went further than that, criticizing Jews in blatantly antisemitic terms.
[Read David Finkle’s ★★★☆ review here.]
His British publisher, Tom Maschler (a terrifically understated Elliot Levey, who also won an Olivier), is deeply supportive of his author, despite being Jewish and a Holocaust survivor himself. He urges Dahl to agree to a newspaper interview in order to clarify and soften his views. Even more concerned is Dahl’s American publishing house, who sends a sales director, Jessie Stone (Aya Cash), to Dahl’s home, currently in the midst of a massive renovation, to do damage control and urge him to apologize. She’s also concerned that, in light of his comments, people might see The Witches as being “analogous” to a certain race of people.
The author is at first bemused by the intervention, almost immediately asking if Stone is Jewish (she is). “How do you feel about Israel?” he queries, adding, “I assume you’re a fan.”
Cue the linguistic fireworks as Dahl parries with the interloper in alternately friendly and antagonistic tones, comparing Israelis to Nazis and likening their oppression of Palestinians to apartheid and worse. Jessie delivers a passionately felt rebuttal, while Tom and Felicity Crosland (Rachael Stirling), Dahl’s longtime mistress and current fiancée, vainly attempt to serve as moderators.
Rosenblatt, a longtime theater director turned first-time playwright, has crafted a provocative drama in which Dahl’s prejudices are laid bare, frequently in the author’s own words. The arguments on both sides are never simplistic, and the seriousness of the proceedings is often leavened with doses of dark humor, as when Dahl denies Jessie a second glass of wine.
“Antisemites only,” he informs her with a devilish grin.
Under the precise direction of Nicholas Hytner, the play does suffer from a certain redundancy as it becomes clear that Dahl is not likely to be swayed from his obviously long-held beliefs. (There’s an attempt at a surprise twist toward the end that doesn’t come off.) It feels overlong at 140 minutes including intermission, and the oblique references to “Pat” (actress Patricia Neal, to whom Dahl was married) and the death of a young daughter may not register with those unfamiliar with the author’s life.
But the quibbles hardly matter considering Lithgow’s towering performance, which blends warmth and ugliness in fascinating fashion. The veteran actor, now 80 years old, has never been better, providing such a compelling central figure that, despite the fine performances by the rest of the ensemble, Giant sometimes has the feel of a one-person play.
Giant opened March 23, 2026, at the Music Box Theatre and runs through June 28. Tickets and information: gianttheplay.com
