{"product_id":"9781408153802","title":"Boy on the Swing","description":"\u003ch3\u003eModern Plays\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ch1\u003eBoy on the Swing\u003c\/h1\u003e\u003ch3\u003eJoe Harbot\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cb\u003eDrama \/ General\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Boy on the Swing\u003c\/i\u003e portrays an individual in the throes of a corporation with intimidating authority and an almost inexplicable leverage to trap and injure. Upon finding a mysterious business card labelled 'Talk to God' in the street, protagonist Earl Hunt comes into contact with the Hope and Trust Foundation which offers the chance to meet God - for a price. After submitting credit card details during a bafflingly threatening phone interview, Earl proceeds to a visit to the Hope and Trust office full of unfathomable power games which alternate between geniality and intimidating menace. The promised meeting with 'God' arrives when, in a dingy room, Earl finally comes into contact with an old man of 85.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom the pseudo business-evangelical spiel of the Hope and Trust Foundation to the frugal simplicity of the man presented as God, Joe Harbot's range and pace is cleverly broad and elusive. From a set-up which subtly suggests the mercenary exploitation of the lost and the lonely, the play's arc turns to darker and stranger themes of metaphysical significance. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Boy on the Swing\u003c\/i\u003e is an enigmatic piece of writing, sometimes baffling and sometimes blackly funny. For all its bizarre and perplexing notes, the play has a smart, dark sense of humour and grapples with abstract, preternatural questions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eJoe Harbot\u003c\/b\u003e, who graduated from the Royal Court's Young Writers' Programme, wrote his first play, \u003ci\u003eGathered Dust and Dead Skin\u003c\/i\u003e, when he was just fifteen. His other plays include \u003ci\u003eA Sock in the Wash\u003c\/i\u003e (Live Theatre, Newcastle), \u003ci\u003eFish Missing\u003c\/i\u003e (Theatre 503, Battersea), \u003ci\u003eThe Running\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eMachine\u003c\/i\u003e (rehearsed reading, Royal Court Upstairs) and \u003ci\u003eThis Way Up\u003c\/i\u003e (Live Theatre, Newcastle). He has also had a short film, \u003ci\u003eLinked\u003c\/i\u003e, which was produced in 2007.\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublication Date: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e01 March 2012\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePublisher: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBloomsbury Academic\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eImprint: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMethuen Drama\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eISBN-13: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e9781408153802\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFormat: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePaperback softback\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePage Count: \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e96\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWeight (oz): \u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e3.2\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury Academic","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51331344466060,"sku":"9781408153802","price":16.16,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/9545\/1788\/files\/getimage_fbcd01e4-3dd6-4a14-b5ac-633c425a4011.jpg?v=1783596019","url":"https:\/\/fh90cf-fv.myshopify.com\/products\/9781408153802","provider":"Late Knight Books and Services, LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}