Hostage Song, Finborough Theatre

Ground-breaking musical Hostage Song has its European premiere at the Finborough Theatre. It’s not often we come across something described as an ‘indie rock musical’ but it perfectly describes this play, which took New York by storm in 2008. 

The hostages are Jennifer the journalist and Jim the contractor. Through their confinement, they conjure up memories of their loved ones and hear glimpses of them making public appeals on the TV. Bound and blindfolded, Jennifer and Jim cling to one another, telling their stories as their time begins to run out. The story surges forward on a wave of rock music.

Unexpectedly funny and nail-bitingly tense, we are thrilled to see this new musical arrive in London. It’s the brainchild of comedian-cum-director James Veitch , who spent many years working in New York, and thrives on theatre focusing on real lives (John Keats, John Lennon) and who already has his own rock musical project in the works. Hostage Song is already being seriously considered for a West End transfer before it has even opened, so we recommend you catch it early in the intimacy of the Finborough. 

Writer Clay McCleod Chapman and composer Kyle Jarrow have created something truly original in this fusion of indie rock music and compelling narrative. It follows in the wake of other successful subversive musicals from the US such as The Book of Mormon and Avenue Q. The sheer force of subject matter and the beautiful monologues of the script make it unmissable entertainment