John Lithgow is returning to Broadway in a play that might change how we read bedtime stories to our children

FILE - John Lithgow poses for a portrait during the Summer Television Critics Association Press Tour in Pasadena, Calif. (Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — John Lithgow is returning to Broadway in a play that might change the way we read bedtime stories to our kids.

The two-time Tony Award-winner will star as Roald Dahl in “Giant,” which explores accusations of antisemitism against the beloved writer of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” Matilda” and “James and the Giant Peach.”

“You go back and read his writing after seeing the play and you see dark strains in it, which you knew were there,” says Lithgow. “But you suddenly see it in a different light when you see this play.”

“Giant,” by director-turned-playwright Mark Rosenblatt, won the Olivier Award earlier this year for best new play in London and earned Lithgow his first Olivier. Performances begin in New York on March 11.

Set over a single afternoon at the Dahl family home in the summer of 1983, “Giant” presents the author on the eve of publication of his book “The Witches.”

He is facing outcry after making antisemitic comments and Dahl is being forced to choose between making a public apology or risking his name and reputation. Jewish representatives from Dahl’s British and American publishers visit his home to chart a course.

“He was a loved writer for very good reasons, and it was really only after his death that so much of this information about his antisemitisms came into focus. He was sort of spared the era of cancel culture,” says Lithgow.

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FILE - John Lithgow poses for a portrait during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, on Jan. 28, 2019. (Photo by Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP, File)

The play will arrive in New York amid swirling accusations of antisemitism over the war in Gaza, a debate over cancel culture and questions about the place of politics in children’s literature.

“It’s not a play that wants to tell people what to think. It just invites people to think,” says Rosenblatt, who was inspired to write “Giant” after learning of antisemitism in Britain's Labor Party.

“It's a play about a complex person, a complex human being who created some of the great treasures of my childhood and whose work I still read to my own kids,” says Rosenblatt. “I guess it’s asking people in some ways to hold two truths in their heads at the same time.”

The play premiered at the Royal Court Theatre before transferring to the West End. It is directed by Nicholas Hytner and features set designs by Bob Crowley

Variety called it “a powerhouse play whose time has most definitely come.” The Times was equally enthusiastic: “Are we likely to see a more enthralling play in the West End this year? I very much doubt it. In fact, we’ll be lucky to encounter a more thought-provoking piece in the next decade.”

Lithgow — who also is a children’s book author and writes songs for kids — is deep into children's literature these days. In addition to “Giant,” he's also signed on to play Albus Dumbledore in HBO’s “Harry Potter” TV series.

“It’s kind of extraordinary that I’ve ended up playing these two characters at such a moment concurrently,” he says. “So here I am doing a variation on a theme.”