Bob Crowley’s set is Dahl’s home Gipsy House in Great Missenden but where building work has left only one habitable room as reception room and dining room.  Plastic sheeting hangs at the rear of the stage.

The play is wonderfully word heavy, full of discussion points but Hytner’s direction keeps our attention on every word.  I didn’t warm to Roald Dahl but John Lithgow is compelling and surely conveys how difficult Dahl is.  Rachael Stirling as “Liccy” doesn’t have enough to do although she attempts to smooth the path while having Dahl’s back and obviously caring for him.  It is ironic that Dahl turned down an OBE because he wanted a knighthood and “Liccy” to be Lady Dahl.  This year she was made a dame for her charity work for the Roald Dahl Foundation for seriously ill children and other philanthropy.

I was very impressed by Romola Garai’s depiction of the American publisher at her containment after so many insults.  How to pussy foot round a difficult but important author! They all know Dahl’s reputation for walking out of situations he finds uncomfortable and he does take himself off into the garden and away from the builder’s dust.  There is a superb twist at the end of the play wrong footing people. 

Mark Rosenblatt has included a large amount of Dahl’s biographical information in his text from his Norwegian background, his cruel schooling, his time as a fighter pilot and the death and illnesses of his children.  He was 6 feet 6 inches tall hence GIANT.

This is a really interesting study of a flawed man which asks the question I often come back to, should we separate the work of an artist from his or her behaviour? Really worth seeing and hope for a transfer.