‘Kenrex’ Off Broadway Review: Jack Holden Delivers Twangs ‘n Chills to Play a Real All-American Monster

Jack Holden and Ed Stambollouian present a very British look at a very American criminal in their play “Kenrex,” which opened Sunday at the Lucille Lortel Theatre after multiple runs in London.

Holden plays a couple dozen (maybe more) characters in this one-man show, with musical accompaniment performed on stage by John Patrick Elliott. Holden twangs more with his tongue than Elliott does with his guitar. There’s a whole lot of good ol’ country affectations in this “true crime thriller” about Ken Rex McElroy, who terrorized the small town of Skidmore, Missouri, before its residents banded together to shoot the hell out of him in 1981. The murder remains unsolved.

The story begins with the prosecutor from Kansas City who tried to put McElroy behind bars once and for all. This lawyer doesn’t speak with a twang because he’s from Kansas City. The citizens of Skidmore (population: 400) aren’t so lucky, McElroy in particular, and they all talk as if they’d taken speech lessons from Loretta Lynn, who grew up in Kentucky. The Brits probably find this middle-of-America way of talking quaint, if not downright charming. Being from the state of Iowa, I find it a little grating on the ears for two hours and fifteen minutes.

What does register as absolutely authentic is Holden’s portrait of a lawless America. The law didn’t protect people from McElroy, so the people of Skidmore became the law. What could be more Old West than that?

Back in the civilized world of New York City, “Kenrex” appears to be a throwback to “The Belle of Amherst” with Julie Harris and “Tru” with Robert Morse; that’s when one-person plays ran over two hours with an intermission. Nowadays, it’s 90 minutes and you’re out of the theater. Harris and Morse, of course, only played one character each, and they weren’t asked to move around the scenery. In addition to playing all those Skidmore citizens, Holden must move a doorway that changes colors, a stairway on wheels and a bunch of standing microphones (scenic design by Anisha Fields). It’s quite a show under Stambollouian’s flashy direction. Especially creepy are those truck headlines (lighting by Joshua Pharo) that illuminate a few scenes of violence through clouds of dry ice.

As for Holden’s performance, it’s amazing he doesn’t collapse from exhaustion before “Kenrex” ends. I felt the same about Andrew Scott in “Vanya” and Sarah Snook in “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” and if you found those one-person plays to be great theatrical experiences, “Kenrex” is the show for you. I found all three to be endurance contests for the actors, as well as a little gimmicky in the actors’ transitions from one character to the next.  

The people who run the Olivier Awards in London would not agree, since they voted Holden best actor in 2026 over Bryan Cranston in “All My Sons” and Sean Hayes in “Good Night, Oscar,” among other nominees.

“Kenrex” ultimately delivers because Holden’s portrayal of the title character is a strong, frightening piece of work. Also, I had to look up Holden’s bio to find out that he’s British. You’d never know it from what he does on stage.

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