UK True Crime Hit Kenrex, Performed by Jack Holden, Sets New York Debut

Kenrex, an American crime story co-written by Jack Holden and Ed Stambollouian, will have its New York premiere beginning April 11 at the Lucille Lortel Theatre off-Broadway.

Part true crime, part Western, the play tells the story of local bully Ken Rex McElroy, whose decade-long reign of terror, marked by theft, intimidation, assault, abduction, and attempted murder, went unpunished thanks to a slippery defense attorney and the rusted gears of the American justice system. On July 10, 1981, McElroy was shot dead in broad daylight before 60 witnesses. None of whom saw a thing.

Holden performs the one-person show, embodying multiple characters alongside live music performed by composer John Patrick Elliott. Stambollouian directs the production, which features an original Americana-inspired score.

It received a glowing five-star write-up when first performed in Sheffield in 2024, being described as “a spell-binding amalgam of Under Milk Wood, Bonnie and Clyde and a more democratic version of Gunfight at the OK Corral.” It ran at the Southwark Playhouse Borough in 2025, and is currently running at the Other Palace in London.

The creative team includes Anisha Fields (design), Joshua Pharo (lighting and video design), Giles Thomas (sound design), and Sarah Golding (movement direction), with James Anderton as production manager.

An album featuring music from the production, Kenrex: Music from the Play by Elliott, is available to stream and includes songs and instrumental tracks from the show alongside additional material.