Giant, Royal Court Theatre Review

Reviewed by Chelsea for Theatre and Tonic

Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review

Content warnings: antisemitic language; graphic descriptions of violence; discussion of conflict in the Middle East, Israel and Palestine; and strong language

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What happens when you take the factual and mix it with the fictional? Well, in Mark Rosenblatt’s Giant, you take a daring dive into the real world of a beloved children’s book author.

Giant explores the scandal of Roald Dahl in 1983 after he was accused of being anti-Semitic for a book review where he speaks out against Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982. The play opens in Dahl’s new home with Dahl and his UK publisher, Tom Maschler going over edits for his next book, the Witches. His soon-to-be second wife, Felicity, pops in and out as sounds of construction can be heard from the remodelling of the house. Although the conversation between them is light in the first moments of the play, you can feel there is something lingering in the air above. This feeling only grows when we meet an American Jewish sales executive, Jessie Stone, who has been sent by Dahl’s US publishers. It is then we realise this meeting is an intervention of sorts to get Dahl to apologise for what he has said and arguments from opposing sides ensue.

It is hard to believe that this is Mark Rosenblatt’s first play with how well it is written and how perfectly defined each character is. He captures the complexities of each individual and how being human is not just being a good or bad person. The mixture of characters is brilliant with how they bounce off of each other and hold their own against their beliefs. Not a line is wasted, even in the small scene where we meet Wally Saunders, the gardener, you know exactly why his character was written in.

It’s no surprise that John Lithgow is extraordinary in his almost Jekyll and Hyde portrayal of Roald Dahl. He perfectly slides from playful, to stubborn, to flat out mean. Capturing the essence of the late writer in his element. The whole ensemble is quite superbly cast, however, the surprising standout was Romola Garai as Jessie Stone. The way she was always boiling, ready to burst and hold her own against a Giant (pun intended) like John Lithgow's Roald Dahl was a sight to see.

The play was gripping and though it is an imagined scene and Jessie Stone was not a real person,  you still feel like you have glimpsed into what it really was like to be around Dahl at that time. In fact, you hear the real words of Dahl in the play when his review is read out and when he converses with a journalist at the end of the play. Audible gasps could be heard in both moments, showing that even though much time has passed, words still hold a great deal of weight. Which is why I applaud the Royal Court for taking the risk of putting on a play such as this. Bringing to light an event that most try to cover up. Especially at a time where the subject matter and themes are still very much prevalent in our world today.

At Royal Court Theatre until 16 Nov 2024.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ .5