So Hostage Song, now on at the Finborough Theatre, is described as ‘an indie rock musical’ about two American hostages held captive in an unspecific time and place. No, I didn’t really know what to expect either.

Hostage Song is indeed one of those rather bizarre (in a good way) genre shifting and defining pieces of theatre. The stage looks like it could be the setting of an intimate rock gig until our two protagonists, blindfolded and bedraggled, are dragged in.

According to the synopsis, Jim and Jennifer (the blindfolded and bedraggled ones) ‘forge a relationship while trying to let go of images of their loved ones’. Although I am not sure I would have got that if I hadn’t read it, the play does certainly explore how on earth somebody might go about confronting and dealing with the terror of being held captive and what having another person there in that situation might start to mean to you.

The play is scattered with frequent flashbacks and fantasy scenes, which did sometimes muddle the action instead of clarifying it. They did not feel hugely connected to the straight scenes between Jennifer (Verity Marshall) and Jim (Michael Matus) and it sometimes felt like a play of two halves. However, these scenes were certainly funny, moving and poignant all in turn. Monologues are exquisitely written and well delivered; I just felt that a stronger narrative thread was needed to hold the thing together (we must never forget our Aristotle, after all, narrative is THE most important thing in storytelling, according to him).

Clay McLeod Chapman’s script is fast-paced and full of satisfyingly dark humour. Pierce Reid as the 13-year-old son leaps in one sentence from irreverence about classmates’ insistence on virtual frog dissection to watching his father’s beheading streamed online. It’s a laugh a minute, but then the next a line comes along out of the blue and punches you right in the guts.

The music, supplied by a live band and frontman Pierce Reid, is brilliant (music and lyrics are by Kyle Jarrow and musical director is Michael Riley). Some of the accents were slightly dodgy, it didn’t always quite hit the mark but I still enjoyed Hostage Song a lot.

Hostage Song is playing at Finborough Theatre until 8 July. For more information and tickets, see the Finborough Theatre website.