John Lithgow Will Reprise Olivier-Winning Performance as Roald Dahl in Giant on Broadway in 2026

Two-time Tony winner John Lithgow will reprise his Olivier-winning performance as the children's author Roald Dahl in the play Giant on Broadway this season. The production will begin performances on March 11, 2026 at a Shubert theater to be announced. Nicholas Hytner directs the play by Mark Rosenblatt, which itself won the Olivier for Best Play.

“Being a part of Giant from its inception has been the most challenging and exciting stage experience of my career,” said Lithgow in a statement. Calling Dahl "a man of dizzying complexity," Lithgow added that the story "resonates powerfully with events of our present day. No play I’ve ever been in has had such an impact on audiences. I am so proud and honored to play this part.”

Widely known for his three-time Emmy-winning performance in the NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun, Lithgow won two Tony Awards, for his Broadway debut in The Changing Room and Sweet Smell of Success, also receiving nominations for Requiem for a Heavyweight, M. Butterfly and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. He was last on Broadway playing Bill Clinton in Hillary and Clinton (2019). Further screen credits include The World According to Garp, Terms of Endearment, All That Jazz, Footloose and Conclave.

“Giant was written on spec in my kitchen with no assurance it would ever get produced at all,” said Rosenblatt. “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.”

Giant tells the story of children's author Roald Dahl and the true scandal—revolving around antisemitic outrbusts in the press—that shook his legacy.

The creative team features set design by Bob Crowley. Giant premiered at London's Royal Court Theatre in September 2024 and transferred to the Harold Pinter Theatre in the West End in 2025.