The Laughing Boy by Jack Harte

The Laughing Boy was given its first stage production at The New Theatre, Dublin, from 31st August to 11th September, 2021

Dublin 1963 and Brendan Behan’s song The Laughing Boy has become the inspirational anthem of the political Left in Greece. Alexandra, a student and political activist, has travelled here to seek out the writer of the song and invite him to Greece to boost the struggle for Socialism.

Her search comes to an end in a Dublin pub but what she finds there is strange in the extreme. This is not the Brendan Behan she was expecting. In fact she is totally bewildered when two characters claim to be Brendan Behan, each with a different take on the legendary writer.

The play draws on Jack Harte’s engagement with Greece. In 1974 he was there to witness the fall of the Military Junta, and 40 years later he was back in Athens and discovered the huge impact of Brendan Behan’s song – The Laughing Boy. The play is an absorbing tale of theatrical and political history as well as an imagined portrayal of Brendan Behan at the end of his life.

The Laughing Boy

ISBN 9781-916075351, price €12.00

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