GIANT Previews

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 3/10/26 at 12:00am

The winner of the 2025 Olivier Award for best new play, Giant — by Mark Rosenblatt — starts up tomorrow (March 11) at the Music Box Theatre. The London import, which follows the children’s book author Roald Dahl at a turbulent point in his career, stars the 2-time Tony winner John Lithgow as Dahl, alongside Aya Cash, Elliot Levey, Rachael Stirling, Stella Everett, and David Manis. Giant officially opens on March 23 and runs in New York until June 28; Nicholas Hytner directs.

“It’s the summer of 1983, The Witches is about to hit shelves, and Roald Dahl is making last-minute edits. But the outcry at his recent, explicitly antisemitic article won’t die down. Across a single afternoon at his family home, and rocked by an unexpectedly explosive confrontation, Dahl is forced to choose: make a public apology or risk his name and reputation.”

Who here is planning a trip to the Dahl house?

[quizking101]

Posted: 3/10/26 at 9:28pm

Just got out of the dress rehearsal. I’ll keep it brief.

The pacing was tight, the writing was strong, and Lithgow is absolutely towering and terrifying, even with great sparring partners on stage.

Even with cursory knowledge of the story, I was gripped about 10 minutes in and it didn’t let go at all.

[TotallyEffed]

Posted: 3/10/26 at 9:46pm

The show I am most looking forward to this season!

[Cape Twirl of Doom]

Posted: 3/10/26 at 10:15pm

I was also at the dress tonight and I echo the previous post. Lithgow commands the stage with a towering performance. I couldn’t take my eye off him. One thing I hope they fix before paying patrons arrive is I was in the mezz and it was very hard to hear a lot of the dialogue, especially in Act One. Other people around me said the same during intermission.

[seeseveryshow2]

Posted: 3/10/26 at 11:11pm

It was also difficult to hear the dialogue from the 6th row at the Pinter in London.

Have they redesigned the set from London? Or does it still have that plastic construction zone curtain backdrop?

I admit to being in the minority on this play. I did not like any of the characters, found each one annoying in his/her own way. 

The play (in London) did not live up to my expectations. 
 💤 

 

 

[the.hard.part]

Posted: 3/10/26 at 11:15pm

Would far orchestra sides be extremely partial view or is the relatively centrally staged? Thanks!

[quizking101]

Posted: 3/10/26 at 11:25pm

To answer the queries:

1) I also had some issues hearing in rear orchestra, but they seemed to resolve partway through Act 1. I’m not sure if it’s the actors or the sound design, but either way, I and others around me had the same feelings.

2) Yes, they still have the plastic backdrop curtain.

3) This show is almost exclusively performed in and around a kitchen table in the center of the stage (think Purlie Victorious). I can’t imagine going for an extreme side seat being any form of impediment unless you are going for closer toward the front, at which point your neck is gonna get a workout.

Oddly enough, I’m going to the first official preview tomorrow as well since I checked my email at intermission and found out I won the lottery and claimed the tickets just under the gun. Good thing I enjoyed the play 😂 

 

[Azbroadway16]

Posted: 3/10/26 at 11:55pm

Is the stage high? I feel it fluctuates at Music Box Theater. For Art I feel it was lower than it was for Suffs. Looking at seats for Left Orchestra Row C seat 2. Just want to make sure the stage isn’t too high.

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 3/11/26 at 12:20am

Giant MERCH

Updated On: 3/11/26 at 12:20 AM

[TheatreMonkey]

Posted: 3/11/26 at 12:48am

CoffeeBreak said: "GiantMERCH"

Eh, looks pretty average sized to me...

Sorry, I'll see myself out. 🙃

[James2]

Posted: 3/11/26 at 12:39pm

There were 19 in line when the box office opened today.  I was 5th (arrived at 8:38), and I got front row orchestra (said to be one of the last $45 seats, with more discounted at $79).  The seller said the front row may miss Lithgow's face when he's sitting at the desk, but maybe I'm tall enough.

[Ensemble1698878795]

Posted: 3/11/26 at 1:17pm

Was at the dress rehearsal last night as well. This will rattle feathers in the best way. I've never seen a play speak to current politics so poignantly - on both sides. They need to fix the sound. Lithgow is a perfect terror. This'll definitely be a Tony contender. 

[JayVenclaw]

Posted: 3/11/26 at 1:46pm

I was in the front row in London for this and, I realize these are two COMPLETELY different theatres, I def missed a lot of facial acting from Lithgow and there were moments when others sit at the table center stage that obstructed my view but I wasn’t angry at it. The majority of the story still got through and it was very affecting. I loved this production, even if I missed some of the up close moments. Enjoy the extra leg room though! It’s truly an excellent play!

[SteveSanders]

Posted: 3/11/26 at 4:47pm

I also was in the front row in London and if I can not get that close here, I may choose to pass on a revisit.  The London experience was like I was at the dining table with them for the entire play ... and it was a fairly cheap ticket!

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 3/11/26 at 6:37pm

2:15 runtime listed on the website, including an intermission. 

[quizking101]

Posted: 3/11/26 at 8:50pm

Intermission:

It sounds like the sound design issue was fixed. I was sitting in the rear corner mezzanine for Act 1 but I heard everything perfectly without issue, including some key stuff that I missed last night. 

I figured something had to be up because it was dress rehearsal, since commanding presence and booming voiced John Lithgow is not an actor that you struggle to hear. 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 3/11/26 at 11:01pm

Did we enjoy the show tonight?

I’ve yet to hear NY reports on Elliot Levey, who plays Lithgow’s publisher. The two of them both won acting Oliviers last year. 

 

[quizking101]

Posted: 3/12/26 at 4:23pm

Levey very much plays his cards close to his chest as the moderator between Dahl’s ever-revealing antisemitism and Aya Cash’s fiery publishing sales associate. You can see a deep internal conflict with him, especially as Dahl starts code switching more and becomes a walking vessel of slurs in Act II, but I am not 100% sure it will resonate with American audiences.

I think this might be a Will Keen in PATRIOTS situation (which I think was still some B.S that he didn’t get nominated). It’s certainly a great performance, but Featured Actor in a Play is going to likely be a very stacked category to begin with because of the volume of plays that have opened this season. However, he may prevail. Aya Cash would be my more certain bet for a nomination for sure.

Updated On: 3/12/26 at 04:23 PM

[Matt Rogers]

Posted: 3/12/26 at 6:03pm

On TKTS tonight. 40% off. 

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/12/26 at 11:11pm

Thought this was very strong. Agree wholeheartedly about the sound though - especially the first 20-25 minutes. I was really straining to understand the actors, but thankfully it got better.

Really well acted, all around - particularly Lithgow of course. Even if it’s not a perfect play, it couldn’t be more eerily timely and relevant. 

[SteveSanders]

Posted: 3/13/26 at 7:22am

I did not realize he was 80 until his appearance this week on Colbert.  What a lifetime of memorable performances he has given us ... with more to come.

[KingOfTheMine]

Posted: 3/13/26 at 7:28am

Can anyone who's seen Giant say how often the cast smokes during the show?  Was the smell overwhelming in the theater? I see herbal cigarettes are used, and someone in my party is sensitive to smoke. They had to leave Hangmen early for this reason.

[quizking101]

Posted: 3/13/26 at 8:06am

KingOfTheMine said: "Can anyone who's seen Giant say how often the cast smokes during the show? Was the smell overwhelming in the theater? I see herbal cigarettes areused, and someone in my party is sensitive to smoke. They had to leave Hangmen early for this reason."

Only the wife smokes, and it’s fairly infrequent. It’s barely enough for the smoke to register across the footlights. 

[Owen22]

Posted: 3/13/26 at 8:32am

I saw this originally at the Royal Court and it really pissed me off! The theme of the play is that well worn Zionist rhetoric that believes those of us who are pro Palestine, anti-Israeli government, are secretly REALLY anti-semites. And it's not even a really good play! Lithgow is phenomenal though.

[theatergoer3]

Posted: 3/13/26 at 8:34am

It’s definitely less than Salesman for a recent example.

Caught this last night as well. Hard to see Lithgow not winning as much I as liked Lane and Strong earlier this season.

If Levy misses a nom (I’d probably even give him the win as of right now), that’d be a massive miss by the committee. I think his monologue in Act 2 could be enough of a moment to get him in. 

I could see Cash getting in but 

 

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I think they need to slightly rework her big act 1 ending moment. It feels a tad overwritten; saying it once and then the lights going down would be more forceful or impactful. But it got applause so maybe I’m in the minority. 

Could see Stirling getting in as well.

Play is good with some great sparring scenes. I think the middle of act 2 stumbles a bit but it recovers nicely.