Giant review

Mark Rosenblatt's Giant is a meticulously devised, and thought provoking play. It follows Roald Dahl - with his publishing team in crisis - as they grapple with the implications of an anti-semitic article he wrote just prior to the release of The Witches.

The article in question pertains to Dahl's views on Israel (and its people), which becomes a source of anger for both the general public, and those closest to him. It is in my view, an incredibly intelligent decision to parallel a messy, raw, interpersonal conflict of the past, with a current-day (or rather ongoing) geopolitical one. Rosenblatt manages to convey much of the complexity of the "Israel-Palestine debate" within a slice of life show.  

Rosenblatt has managed to craft such a layered depiction of Dahl, even within such a short snapshot of his life. The formidable John Lithgow brings this vision to life with his characterisation of Dahl, oscillating between the childlike, the resentful, the passionate, the caring. Cracking close to the mark jokes, he occupies this fine line between the charming and the uneasy. It really humanises the figure that is Roald Dahl.

Giant is intricately written. Even early on, you are fed hints at what is to come, where Dahl tells his publisher Tom Maschler (played by Elliot Levey) “I know what you’re like” - in apparent distrust. Clearly there is an implication that this distrust is not just of Maschler as an individual, but rather jews on the whole. On the flip-side, we also get to see a nurturing facet to Dahl, in a scene where he manages to pick-up on the notion that Jessie Stone (also a publisher, played by Aya Cash) has a disabled child, like him, and sympathise with her. 

The performances are pretty decent all round. Aya Cash gives us a powerful and emotional performance as Jessie Stone, though I must admit, I would have given an arm to see Romala Garai (the original Stone) in this role. Having seen Elliot Levy's previous Pinter theatre appearance in Good (and was blown away), his work in this play is solid, but I dare say somewhat unnoteworthy for an Olivier winning performance. Although he gets little stage time, Richard Hope's performance as Wally Saunder's (Dahl's gardener) is incredibly endearing.

What is a shame, is that the acting stylistically does not fill the comparatively vast space of the Pinter, and I would imagine that the play would have more gravitas at the smaller, more intimate venue of The Royal Court (Giant's previous home). The performances can come off as under physicalised, under projected, and under enunciated. Giant at its lows has an air of a quaint, slightly boring, family drama about it. Thankfully scenes such as these are few and far between. 

I wonder if Giant would be well adapted as a radio play, as it is not often Giant attempts to engage in visual storytelling. Perhaps the most significant use of movement coordination is the dining table, where proximity of characters to the seemingly always munching Dahl, implies a correlative emotional distance. 

There is no denying that this is an incredibly well-constructed play, and it is Giant's intellectual might that warrants a stage like the Pinter's, ensuring that large crowds may view an important play for our time - even if this does temper its theatrical weight. If Giant gets people thinking, it has more than done its job. Good theatre should challenge, and Giant certainly does. ★★★★☆