Review: Giant (Royal Court)

Review by Daz Gale

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In what I consider to have been a stellar year for plays, there is one that has piqued my interest more than most. Ever since Royal Court announced the premiere of Giant, it shot straight to the top of my most eagerly anticipated plays to see this year. This was down to the combination of its subject matter tackling legendary writer Roald Dahl’s notorious antisemitism and its star casting of John Lithgow (I’m not exaggerating when I say I used to watch 3rd Rock From the Sun on a constant loop in my younger days). With such high hopes, would this play prove to be a Giant amongst all other competitors this year and soar to new heights in its great glass elevator, or would I have set the bar far too high and end up feeling like a bit of a twit?

Set in the summer of 1983, Giant sees famed author Roald Dahl in a difficult phase of his life. As he prepares to release his next book ‘The Witches’, he finds himself facing a lot of negative press and criticism for a book review he had written where he was accused of being anti-Semitic. With a backlash looming, his UK and US publishers join forces, attempting to keep the peace with one fateful meeting at Dahl’s renovated house. Will they be able to convince Dahl to issue an apology or will he double down on his antisemitism?

Having worked on Giant for a number of years before it saw the light of day, Mark Rosenblatt has painstakingly crafted a rich mix of fact and fiction. Though Dahl’s views are no secret, the topic of this hasn’t been explored like this before, which makes Rosenblatt’s play so refreshing. Using Dahl’s own words from the book review that causes the furore Giant centres itself on, as well as a shockingly candid statement he gave in response to it, the remainder of the show is a work of Rosenblatt’s creation as he imagines the meeting that could have taken place between Dahl, his fiancée and his publishers and holds no punches as he unravels the meaning behind Dahl’s words and the damage they could do.

Filling the big shoes of Roald Dahl is a giant amongst actors himself in the form of legendary actor John Lithgow. Making his long belated Royal Court debut at the age of 78 after a career that saw him frequent the space multiple times, though never on stage (there is a truly interesting piece about the bookends of his career and ties to the theatre in the programme), Lithgow proves why he has had such an illustrious career over the decades in a remarkable performance. Taking on such a legendary character is no small feat in itself but adding into the mix the unsavoury aspects of his character and it takes a truly gifted actor to exemplify this perfectly. In that respect, Lithgow is the perfect choice to play Roald Dahl, delivering one of the strongest and boldest character performances of the year.

There is a real Jekyll & Hyde quality to the character of Roald Dahl here, constantly flitting from a seemingly sweet-natured, caring man to one who is hate-filled, stubborn and regularly abusive. This switch can happen at a moment’s notice, sometimes with both aspects of the character interchanging in the same sentence. Lithgow takes this challenge on and delivers it with awe-inspiring ease, tapping into the intricacies and conflicting nature of Dahl’s character and never shying away from how unlikeable this character can be at times. It is a relative slow burn of a performance with the sense that something is bubbling away under the surface. Lithgow’s performance in the final scenes of the play gives not only a satisfying payoff but a chilling one as he coldly recounts Dahl’s verbatim words in one of the most uncomfortable things I have witnessed in the theatre in some time, but in the most powerful of ways.

It would be easy to bill Giant as “the John Lithgow show” – indeed, it is him alone on the artwork for the play and you wouldn’t be blamed for thinking this is solely about him. However, what Mark Rosenblatt has so cleverly done here is amplify the voices of his co-stars to make this more of an ensemble piece than you would necessarily expect. While John Lithgow delivers one of the greatest performances I have seen recently, his calibre is matched by his consistently impressive co-stars. Elliot Levey is a quiet force of nature with his understated portrayal of Dahl’s UK publisher Tom Maschler, delivering some of the more comedic moments and providing a great sparring partner to play off the others’ dynamic.

Rachael Stirling plays Dahl’s fiancée Felicity Crosland with charm as she attempts to keep the peace between all characters and diffuse the tension where possible. Her calming nature while never allowing herself to be anything other than Dahl’s equal gives Stirling plenty to work with, and a great use of her immeasurable talents as an actor. Tessa Bonham Jones gets a small but mighty role as Hallie who initially provides comic relief with her overly enthusiastic appearances. Her dynamic with Lithgow’s Dahl becomes one of the more unexpected throughout the play, culminating in an artful performance on her part where words aren’t necessary to convey her feelings to the latest developments in Dahl’s character.

While Lithgow is undoubtedly the performance that will get people talking and rightly so, a true standout for me amongst a consistently impressive cast was Romola Garai as Jessie Stone. A fictionalised character who works for Dahl’s US publisher, she seems to represent the public, unafraid to call Dahl out for his antisemitism and defend herself as a proud Jewish woman. Incredibly captivating at all times, she may be going toe to toe with a heavyweight both in character and actor but she more than holds her own in an utterly captivating performance of a fantastically written character. Feeling more developed than her fellow publisher in the story, Garai is given scope to bond with Dahl in their own similarities, which makes their differences all the more fiery to watch explode. The greatest scenes in Giant are those that pair Lithgow and Garai against each other – the result is always theatrical magic. Rosenblatt should be commended in how he has avoided making this a one-man show. It is the choice to give the other characters so much power that allows for a sensitive and balanced story.

The cast are all incredible in their own right, but the real star here is Mark Rosenblatt’s writing. So complex and rich in tone, it beautifully taps into a difficult subject and instils it with comedy in a way that never minimises the pain antisemitism can cause. The ability to laugh throughout makes the situation that much more human, and it is in the humanity and authenticity of Rosenblatt’s writing that makes Giant come alive. Moments of dialogue may come across cold, but they come with a personal touch and it is this choice that ensures Giant resonates as well as it does. It would have been easy to overpower the play with anti-Semitic remarks, but these are carefully peppered throughout subtly and seemingly inconsequentially – it is this choice that makes every remark cut through you, never becoming immune to the pain in the words.

Rosenblatt also refreshingly decides not to fill Giant with too many references to Dahl’s works. While there are a few nods here and there, the fact these are few and far between never threatens to belittle the severity of the topic at hand.  Though this meeting is a work of fiction, it feels believable – a testament to the writing, which immerses us into the world and almost makes me forget we are not in the room with them, but in fact watching a play. The biggest marker of how blisteringly good this play is comes from how it makes you feel. Thought-provoking, powerful and deeply uncomfortable, its final scenes were so unsettling, I had to keep reminding myself to breathe I was so engrossed by what I was seeing.

Mark Rosenblatt’s writing is exceptional in itself, but it is elevated further thanks to Nicholas Hytner’s faultless direction. Keeping the action to one room in Bob Crowley’s brilliantly designed set replicating Dahl’s renovated house, Hytner delivers inspired choices in characterisation and the delivery of lines. With such differing dynamics on offer between all characters, Hytner finds creative ways to showcase this with results that vary from humorous to shocking, never varying in quality. When the writer and director are so in sync with each other with one shared vision, it can create something seamless and incredibly effective – Giant is a prime example of that. Reading on how Giant came to be staged and how Hytner was involved in the project, it really feels like no other team could have brought this show to life as remarkably as this team have.

While Giant may be set more than 40 years ago, it feels timely in its nature with themes feeling as relevant today as they ever were. The obvious comparisons are for how prevalent in society antisemitism has been in recent years as well as the topic of Israel, of course. You may also draw comparisons with another acclaimed children’s author whose views have been a bone of contention in recent years, spilling into such a nasty and dangerous territory that has ruined their books for many of us. There is the debate of can you separate the art from the artist, and should you? This topic is briefly touched upon in Giant as Roald Dahl himself questions Jessie Stone if she can still enjoy his writing after the comments he has made. It’s an interesting debate and one not for this review, or indeed for this play. The tease of this we got made me wish for a bit more exposition into this subject, but perhaps the very existence of this play is a good start into that conversation.

Giant was my most anticipated play of the year, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. While some shows may make it to the stage ahead of their time and suffer by not being the best version of themselves, Giant has been worked on behind the scenes for a number of years, making it an absolute marvel in its now finished form. This is the kind of play people will take different things from and I imagine their own personal views on the themes at the heart of it may impact their own enjoyment. As someone who has grappled with the idea of enjoying Dahl’s books (and more recently the films and shows they have been adapted into) despite my own upbringing, I found Giant a wholly riveting and rich discussion of these issues. Never detracting from the severity of these views nor Roald Dahl’s clear talents, Rosenblatt has crafted an incredibly nuanced exposition that isn’t just a phenomenal piece of theatre, but is also a powerful piece in terms for conversations we have in society, and should be having a lot more than we currently do.

Some may long for a resolution that ties up all the loose ends and clearly states where it stands on the issues discussed, the choice to leave it as it is feels more representative of the state we find ourselves in and encourages the audience to have those conversations themselves. With performances every bit as stellar as the writing, there have been some amazing plays in London this year, but this masterpiece is a Giant among them.

Giant plays at Royal Court until 16th November. Tickets from https://royalcourttheatre.com/whats-on/giant/

Photos by Manuel Harlan