"Kenrex raises the question of whether the experience of watching one actor at the top of his game can obscure the creakiness of the vehicle he's propelling."
"Holden's performance includes impressive impersonations of various townspeople, but they conform to types, lacking depth in character exploration."
"The play's setting in the early 1980s and its focus on a small town's dynamics highlight the exoticism of midwestern cruelty to a British audience."
"Despite its acclaim, the New York run of Kenrex felt like a surface-level engagement with its serious themes, waiting for a deeper exploration."
Kenrex questions whether an actor's virtuosity can mask the weaknesses of the narrative. The play, co-written by Jack Holden and Ed Stambollouian, dramatizes the real-life violence of Ken McElroy in a small Missouri town. Jack Holden performs multiple characters, supported by a country-rock score. While the play received acclaim in the U.K. and earned Holden an Olivier Award, its New York performance felt superficial, lacking depth in exploring its themes of violence and justice.
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