In today’s oversaturated world of true crime TV and podcasts, it’s all too easy to become desensitised to yet another glossy retelling of a tragic series of events taking place in an isolated town. However, when an innovative production like KENREX comes along, which combines an eye-popping story with gripping character performances from Jack Holden and immersive live music kicks from John Patrick Elliott – well, put it this way: you’re in for a hell of a ride, so buckle up.
Of course, there was reason to suspect that their opening performance at Sheffield Theatres’ Playhouse would be memorable. The duo previously collaborated on Cruise, a 2022 West End hit that similarly adapted a true story, blending a one-man performance with a live soundtrack. The play earned an Olivier nomination, while Elliott won the Stage Debut Award for Best Composer.
KENREX tells the haunting real-life story of Ken Rex McElroy, an infamous resident of Skidmore, Missouri, who spent years terrorising his small community. Despite repeated crimes, he continually evaded jail and what his neighbours saw as justice until, finally pushed to their limit, they felt compelled to take matters into their own hands.
What naturally stands out is Holden’s versatility in one of the best solo turns I’ve ever witnessed on a Sheffield Theatres stage. Seamlessly embodying personas, he moves from folksy charm to bone-chilling menace with a fluidity that is mesmerising – and at times, comedically brilliant – to watch. In particular, the way he slowly shifts and cracks his body and voice to transform into the horrifying McElroy is genuinely unsettling. His breathless performance keeps a multi-faceted story moving at a barnstorming pace through the eight chapters.
Director Ed Stambollouian’s minimalistic set design is elevated by atmospheric lighting and the imaginative use of soundscapes. The ghostly glow of old billboard signs and pickup headlights establish a mood of isolation and lurking danger, evoking the forgotten backwaters of 1980s America.
Elliott’s Americana-inspired music enhances the production’s immersive feel, spanning folk, country and dark, moody blues. His use of foot-stomping rhythms and ominous undertones, together with sound loops and eerie effects, guides the audience through scenes that range from uncomfortably subdued to alarmingly chaotic.
While true crime adaptations made for quick, thoughtless consumption often steer to the banal, with priority given to cramming as many sordid and gory details into the narrative, KENREX focuses more on plunging the viewer deep into the heart of an increasingly alarmed community – so much so it’s hard not to get swept away in the indignation. A superb epilogue, ‘The Widow’, provides a necessary balancing of the moralistic scales, putting some key questions at the forefront of the audience’s mind as they leave the theatre: when, if ever, is mob justice justified, and what are the personal and societal costs of delivering such justice when the tipping point comes?
JF 5/5
