What’s the story?

Based on the true, unsolved murder case of Ken McElroy, this two-hander (one actor, one musician) aims to create the town of Skidmore, Missouri in the collective mind of its audience. With a registered population of less than 250 today, the town was certainly more densely-populated in Ken’s time, but still tight-knit and tightly-wound community – for decades before that fateful, secretive night, one can only imagine there was one question shared across Skidmore, “What do we do about Ken?”

What they did involved multiple gunshot wounds, but who did the shooting has been Skidmore’s secret for decades. To this day people plead ignorance, and at the time even the man who helped the deceased’s bloodied, traumatised wife out of their car claimed to have seen anything of the sort. In reality, as in this dramatisation, journalist Steve Booher found that the town’s collective attitude was that, “he needed to die.”

This review of KENREX is written of my own volition, having paid to attend.

Where is it playing?

Kenrex is playing in the Main House of The Other Palace until February 1st, 2026.

Tickets and information can be found on the theatre’s website.

Spoiler-Full Thoughts

This is a decades-old true crime, placed on the London stage following not only a previous run at Southwark Playhouse, but after both fiction and non-fiction work has covered the Ken McElroy case in countless forms… you’ll forgive my willingness to give things away!

KENREX – his full name was Kenneth Rex McElroy – finds Jack Holden in the titular role… and the role of the lawyer who saved him from countless sentences… and his wife… and the officer in charge of his final case… and the rest of Skidmore, Missouri. His writing here isn’t as centralised within the main role as his earlier (sensational) hit Cruise, and his performance becomes chameleonic to allow for the extended cast of characters.

Characters are drawn in broad strokes, and after all we do need to recognise them from a change in vocal timbre or a re-positioning of the hips. This being a town seemingly of oddballs and larger than life characters, this broadness fits seamlessly into the world Holden and co-writer Ed Stambollouian’s script creates. The pair have crafted a seamless narrative in which events flow naturally, with the intensity able to rise beneath the surface until the act one finale forces the audience to reckon with the true crime behind this imagined world.

Also taking on the role of director, Stambollouian brings a constant, kinetic energy to KENREX, keeping Holden in near constant motion as he flips between characters and creates the insular world of Skidmore around him before our eyes. Anisha Field’s set is incredibly simple, consisting chiefly of a doorframe and a raised platform, which she and Stambollouian have utilised to create dynamic entrances and changes of locale, with a cinematic quality added to the proceedings by Joshua Pharo’s striking lighting and video design.

Pharo brings a bold title card and rolling end credits to the table, adding to Holden and Stambollouian’s genre-straddling concept – true crime on stage becomes much more palatable when one foot is firmly in the genre-familiar, well-established worlds of television and podcasting. With this is mind, the minimalism of Field’s set becomes an obvious, perhaps inspired choice, allowing for the dictating of criminal history through voice alone to remain central to the work.

Accompanying Holden is John Patrick Elliott, who plays his own original compositions live throughout the performance. This adds to the cinematic/live podcast quality of the show, and embeds this take on Skidmore more firmly in reality with not only atmospheric accompaniment but also country tunes to fill out the fictional radio broadcasts. In the brief moments where he interacts with Holden, Elliott brings his own charming persona to the play, but his music is a constant, endlessly welcome presence which elevates KENREX to thrilling new levels. As well as carrying Elliott’s music effectively through the auditorium, Giles Thomas’ sound design creates some dynamic moments of confusion in which the audience are suddenly placed among a muttering, lively crowd.

Of course, Jack Holden’s central performance is remarkable, ranging from teenage girls to boisterous radio, hard-boiled officers to the treacherous Ken himself. Most impressively, every character feels genuine and most come across as deeply-felt and fully established, with Holden’s mannerisms reshaped by movement director Sarah Golding, and his entire vocal range stretched to its limits. Admittedly, those limits do become apparent when the gruff, deeply-voiced Ken shares scenes with others, and Holden’s voice never quite lowers to the depths with which we initially meet Ken – it’s unavoidable, especially when the other character has a much higher pitch, but as the show goes on it does become notable.

Were I to take any real issue with KENREX, it would be in the characterisation of Ken’s wife, the much younger Trena McCloud. There is a blend of coyness and naïveté to the character when she meets Ken during her teenage years, but a callousness and cruely that sets in firmly before we are reacquainted with her as a young adult. My issue lies, not only with KENREX but with many scripts, with the seeming need to draw this young woman, a victim as much as anyone else in Skidmore, as more outwardly nasty and spiteful by the end of her husband’s life. A final monologue suggests that she was abandoned by the people of Skidmore, and that her unending pain is theirs to reckon with – it’s just a shame that the same treatment has come from the creatives behind this newest portrayal of her.

Despite these missteps, which many will find far less issue with, KENREX is a powerful and unique piece of storytelling, and one which will sit with its audience for some time afterwards. There is always a sense of morbidity to true crime, a concern that it encourages a habit of gawking at and almost glamourising the tragedies of others, but whether or not you believe the genre can be truly tasteful, KENREX makes a strong argument for their being quality work done within the genre.

Rating and final thoughts

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Thrilling. Tuneful. Triumphant.

KENREX makes a powerful case for true crime as a viable stage genre, and demonstrates effectively that minimalism can still be a strong tool for storytelling. With a commanding, endlessly-multifaceted performance from Jack Holden and a phenomenal musical score by John Patrick Elliott, the eternally fascinating story of Ken Rex McElroy makes for a striking, if conflicting, piece of theatre.