Oscar E Moore

ADMISSION – Never knew much about the author Roald Dahl, let alone how to pronounce his name correctly BUT I was extremely curious to see GIANT a play about him by Mr. Mark Rosenblatt.

I have a hard time with my ears working properly and so I have retired from the Outer Critics Circle but GIANT kept nagging at me and I thought well, I’ll get me a copy and READ it.

I did.

Here are a few of my observations on this “think about on paper” production.

First off, I was totally surprised.  Not at all what I expected.  Although I did not even think about what to expect.  I knew Dahl’s name and that he wrote extremely popular children’s books that I myself have dabbled in – but I had never read his.

It’s all about Lithgow.  John Lithgow.  Portraying Dahl.  Brilliantly.

No matter what Dahl’s private/political thought are/were?  Still are, I suppose in the afterlife…

How could Lithgow’s performance not be spectacular?  The role was written for him.  Tailored to fit, like a second skin.  Just about perfect.  How could he not succeed.  BUT.  That infamous word!

ACT I is a delight and then there is a major turn of events and tone in Act II that is not as successful.  At times I got itchy sitting through some of the speeches.  It doesn’t live up to whatever the writer had hoped to accomplish.  Two separate halves that don’t add up to a single whole.

Oh well.  I got to hear it in my own mind.  I now want to devour his children’s books.

I’ve read almost all of the reviews and my favorite and closest to my own thoughts is by Robert Hofler THE WRAP.

QUESTION:  Does John Lithgow have an understudy? or standby?  or whatever?  After all he is the main attraction.  Without Mr. Lithgow…