Theatre
‘The stuff of dreams’ – Mark Rosenblatt’s Olivier Award-winning Giant to hit Broadway next year
The debut play written by writer-director Rosenblatt, about Roald Dahl’s antisemitism, won three Olivier awards
September 17, 2025 10:14
The debut play written by writer-director Rosenblatt, about Roald Dahl’s antisemitism, won three Olivier awards
September 17, 2025 10:14Mark Rosenblatt says the Broadway transfer of his Olivier Award-winning play Giant, about Roald Dahl’s antisemitism, is “the stuff of dreams”.
The debut play written by writer-director Rosenblatt won three Olivier awards – best new play, best actor for John Lithgow for his portrayal of Dahl, and best actor in a supporting role for Elliot Levey – as well as two UK Critics' Circle awards. It sold out its initial run at the Royal Court Theatre before transferring to the West End’s Harold Pinter Theatre in April, where it enjoyed a 14-week, sold-out run.
Lithgow, known in America for his TV roles in The Crown and Dexter, will reprise his performance as the 6’6” Dahl for the New York tour.
The 16-week run will begin on March 11, with its venue yet to be announced, and the production will once again be helmed by acclaimed director Nicholas Hytner and designed by Bob Crowley.
Of the transfer, Rosenblatt said: “My debut play Giant was written on spec in my kitchen with no assurance it would ever get produced at all. So, to have it premiere at London’s mighty Royal Court Theatre before transferring to the West End was truly life changing.
"And now, to open on Broadway, led again by the peerless John Lithgow, is truly the stuff of dreams – I can’t wait to share Giant and Nick Hytner’s exceptional production with New York audiences.”
The play is set in 1983, on the eve of the publication of Dahl's novel The Witches, as the author faces an outcry over the antisemitic views he’s aired in the media.
In a book review in the August 1983 edition of the British periodical Literary Review, Dahl referred to “those powerful American Jewish bankers” and claimed that the US government was “utterly dominated by the great Jewish financial institutions over there”.
That same year, in an interview with the New Statesman, Dahl said: “There is a trait in the Jewish character that does provoke animosity... Even a stinker like Hitler didn't just pick on them for no reason.”
Lithgow said he is “proud and honoured” to play the part of Dahl and to shine a spotlight on his views: “Being a part of Giant from its inception has been the most challenging and exciting stage experience of my career.
“I play the central character of Roald Dahl, a man of dizzying complexity, on a day of crisis in his life. The story takes place 40 years ago, but it resonates powerfully with events of our present day. No play I’ve ever been in has had such an impact on audiences.”
Hytner added: “It’s a great privilege to be on Broadway with this superb play and to be working again with John Lithgow, one of the English-speaking world’s greatest actors.”
The Royal Court’s production of Giant will be produced on Broadway by Brian and Dayna Lee, Stephanie Kramer and Nicole Kramer, Josh Fiedler and Robyn Goodman.
The Lees said: “Giant is a powerful reminder that live theatre sparks vital conversation and deeper connection.
"The critical and audience acclaim from its West End run speaks to the insight and resonance of Mark Rosenblatt’s writing, remarkable for a debut play, and to John Lithgow’s stunning performance. We are honoured to bring this timely work to Broadway this spring.”
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