After a sold-out run at Southwark Playhouse, Kenrex makes a triumphant return to London for a run at The Other Palace with all the intensity and grit that made it one of the most talked-about productions of the year.
Co-written by Jack Holden and director Ed Stambollouian, this true crime thriller is based on the chilling real-life story of Ken Rex McElroy, the small-town tyrant who terrorised Skidmore, Missouri for over a decade. His reign of intimidation, theft and violence ended in 1981 in broad daylight, when the townspeople decided to take justice into their own hands.
The setting has shifted from the intimacy of Southwark Playhouse to the larger space of The Other Palace, and while some of that closeness is inevitably lost, the production compensates brilliantly through its immersive sound design. Giles Thomas envelops the audience in the voices of Skidmore’s residents, which echo from every corner of the auditorium, pulling us into the heart of the action. It is a masterstroke that ensures the tension never dissipates, even in a bigger venue.
At the centre of this theatrical phenomenon is Jack Holden, delivering a performance that is nothing short of extraordinary. Known for his Olivier-nominated Cruise, Holden once again proves his versatility and stamina.
With musician John Patrick Elliott providing a live score throughout, Holden remains the sole dramatic force on stage, conjuring an entire town with astonishing clarity, shifting seamlessly between more than a dozen characters with astonishing precision.
Each voice, each physicality is distinct, from the swaggering menace of McElroy to the weary resignation of those living under his shadow. It is a feat of storytelling that feels almost cinematic in scope, yet remains deeply human. Holden’s ability to inhabit these roles with such clarity and nuance makes Kenrex feel like a multi-actor ensemble piece, even though it is powered by one man’s tour de force.
The production’s sonic landscape is equally compelling. John Patrick Elliott’s live Americana score does far more than underscore the drama; it becomes a character in its own right. Performed on stage, the music evokes the dusty plains of Missouri with haunting authenticity, using an inventive array of instruments and techniques to create texture and atmosphere. From foot-stomping rhythms to eerie, resonant tones, the score mirrors the emotional terrain of the story, amplifying its tension and melancholy. The interplay between sound and narrative is so finely tuned that the audience feels transported to Skidmore’s isolated streets.
Anisha Fields’ design cleverly blends the aesthetics of a recording studio with rural Americana, a visual metaphor for the way the story is pieced together through interviews, broadcasts and court transcripts. This layered approach to storytelling keeps the audience engaged as the puzzle of McElroy’s demise unfolds. The production never sensationalises its subject matter; instead, it interrogates the moral ambiguity of vigilante justice, leaving us to wrestle with uncomfortable questions.
Kenrex probes the limits of law and the price of silence. It is theatre at its most electrifying: bold, inventive and unflinchingly honest. Holden and Stambollouian have created a production that grips relentlessly, and in this transfer its power is undiminished. With its immersive soundscape and electrifying live music, Kenrex asserts itself as the triumph it undeniably is.
