John Lithgow will reprise his role as children's writer Roald Dahl in Mark Rosenblatt's play Giant, when it transfers to the West End in 2025.
Staged at the Harold Pinter Theatre from 26 April-2 August 2025, Giant hones in on one afternoon in the summer of 1983, in which Dahl is working on last-minute edits for The Witches, while dealing with the fallout from the publication of an article, in which he's been explicitly antisemitic.
Though Dahl continues to be lauded as one of — if not THE — greatest children's writer to lift a pen, his legacy is mired in controversy, not least because of that 1983 interview with the New Statesman, in which he said: "There is a trait in the Jewish character that does provoke animosity, maybe it's a kind of lack of generosity towards non-Jews. I mean, there's always a reason why anti-anything crops up anywhere."
In recent years, Dahl's unsavoury remarks have been resurfaced and shared with a new generation, prompting the author's family to apologise.
When it was on at the Royal Court theatre in autumn 2024, Giant was plastered with four- and five-star reviews from major publications, with the Guardian praising it as a play that "speaks to our times". The combination of an acclaimed actor like Lithgow, a popular writer like Dahl — plus a heap of controversy — means that Giant it set to be a hot ticket.
Giant, Harold Pinter Theatre, 26 April-2 August 2025, tickets on sale from 12pm on 9 December 2024
