Kenrex - A True Crime Story Explodes in the Telling

Reviewed by Judd Hollander - 

Jack Holden is magnificent as he takes on the roles of over 30 characters in the one-man show Kenrex at the Lucelle Lortel Theatre. Written by Holden and Ed Stambolluian, this transfer from London where it was nominated for multiple Olivier Awards, examines an actual incident and its lingering aftermath.

Skidmore, Missouri is a place located in the middle of nowhere on your way to anywhere else. It consists mainly consists of farms, one general store, one bar and one bank. A tight knit community of about 400 people where everybody knows everybody else’s business. The year is 1981 though the story begins somewhat earlier. 

                                    Jack Holden in KENREX. Pamela Raith Photography

Ken Rex McElroy, known to all as “Ken Rex,” is the longtime town bully and someone you do not want to cross. The 15th of 16 children in a migrant family, he gets by doing odd jobs, the last of which has left him in chronic pain due to an accident. He also has a deep hatred for those, such as farmers, who have inherited generational wealth or property. Over the years Ken has had numerous run-ins with the law and been accused of such crimes as property damage, assault, breaking and entering, burglary and arson. Yet each time he’s brought to court, his lawyer Richard McFadin is able to get the charges dismissed by deliberately twisting the facts. There’s also the issue of numerous, albeit unproven instances of witness intimidation. Ken at one point proclaiming he’s never spent a single night in jail.

                                   Jack Holden in KENREX. Photo by Manuel Harlan

Ken’s undoing begins shortly after a recent acquittal when, at a town festival, he encounters 14-year-old Trena McCloud, who quickly becomes enamored with him and soon after is pregnant. The two quickly marrying as a wife in Missouri can’t be forced to testify against her husband. When the lovestruck teenager is approached at the general store by someone who only wants to make sure she’s okay, the upset Trena reports the encounter to Ken, who returns with a shotgun. Despite attempts to defuse the situation, shots are fired and one person is left critically wounded.

Thrown into the aftermath of all this is David Baird, the new prosecutor for the county and who, as the show begins, is making a statement to an unseen federal agent. It seems Ken was heading to jail for his role in the shooting until Baird makes an unexpected move which puts Ken back on the streets. Yet even as Baird believes his actions will finally stop Ken once and for all, that day of reckoning gets pushed back due to McFadin’s delaying tactics and leaves Ken free to roam and threaten. Until some residents decide to take matters into their own hands.

Playing like a true-crime docudrama or a “Law and Order” episode, one is quicky drawn into this gripping story, where the fear, anger and helplessness of the townspeople become quite palpable as they see Ken time and again the use legal system to his advantage. In the end, the question becomes one of control and what someone will do to retrain that control or conversely, take it away from another.

                                     Jack Holden in KENREX. Photo by Manuel Harlan

There are several musical interludes presented, with composer John Patrick Elliott providing quite effective onstage accompaniment, if a bit too loud at times. A particular highlight is an extended sequence that introduces the McFadin character and which feels very much like a spoof of low budget local advertisements seen on late night television. 

Though much of the first act is basically a set up for what is to follow, there are more than enough twists and turns to keep the audience on the edge of their seats, even if one is already familiar with the outcome. Key to this is Holden’s excellent performance as he literally transforms himself with the physical characteristics and attitudes of one character to another from one moment to the next. Just as critical is Stambollouian’s exemplary directorial work which keeps the pacing of the story continually taut and leaving one feeling that something unexpected might happen at any moment. Lighting by Joshua Pharo and sound by Giles Thomas are also important elements in presenting the proper ominous atmosphere for the work.

                                       Jack Holden in 'KENREX. Photo by Matthew Murphy

The show also depicts a shifting attitude when it comes to morality, with no person able to claim that high ground for long. Ultimately, the play asks how far someone will go to protect themselves and their loved ones when all legal avenues that exist prove to be of no help. In Kenrex there are no winners, only those who must live with never knowing the full story of what happened, and those who know exactly that, but who will never be able to speak of it. Though if underlying story was truly fiction, there’s just enough of a loose end to lay the groundwork for a possible continuation of what we have seen unfold on stage.

Less a question of right and wrong than one of what choice did they have, Kenrex will keep you glued to your seat from beginning to end.

Featuring: Jack Holden

Voices: Kelly Burke (Voice of Annette Parker), James Sobel Kelly (Voice of David Baird)

Kenrex: A True Crime Thriller

Written by Jack Holdern & Ed Stambollouian

Composed by John Patrick Elloitt

Scenic & Costume Designer: Anisha Fields

Lighting & Video Designer: Joshua Pharo

Sound Designer: Giles Thomas

Casting Director: Taylor Williams, CSA

Associate Director: Rox Golden

Music Supervision: John Patrick Elliott

Company Manager: Susan Keappock

Production Manager: Sophie Larin/LJPM

Production Stage Manager: Amber Johnson

Stage Manager: Sydney Scheer

Movement Director: Sarah Golding

Directed by Ed Stambollouian

Lucille Lortel Theatre

121 Christopher Street, New York City

Tickets: https://Kenrextheplay.com

Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes, one intermission

Closes: June 27, 2026

The Balusters - Where good intentions and hypocrisy go hand in hand

Reviewed by Judd Hollander

Looking for that extra advantage to protect ones’ interests is at the heart of David Lindsay-Adaire’s new Broadway comedy The Balusters.

The East Coast community of Vernon Point consists of a historical district with Victorian homes on treelined streets, with stores, apartment buildings and other structures nearby. It’s close to the city but isolated enough to feel removed from it. Helping to maintain this feeling is the local Neighborhood Association, whose membership consists of a cross-section of races, genders, ages, and opinions. The organization’s long-time president is Elliot (Richard Thomas), a real estate broker and seemingly affable sort.

Hosting the latest monthly meeting is Kyra (Anika Noni Rose) an African American and newest member of the Association. Kyra, her husband and young children have recently arrived from Baltimore to start fresh, as it were. Having had a volatile experience as a Board member of the coop where she once lived, Kyra is mostly concerned with being able to fit into her new surroundings without causing any controversy.

(L-R) Kayli Carter, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Anika Noni Rose and Jeena Yi in MTC's The Balusters. 

                                                        Photograph: Jeremy Daniel

In between discussions of disappearing packages, dog poop and the proper type of balusters (spindles) used in construction of stairs and railings, Kyra does suggest the installation of a traffic light for the crosswalk outside her home. After the formation of a committee to study the matter, learning the official difference between a speed bump and speed hump, and feeling the facts are on her side, Kyra begins to reach out online to the different residents in the community for their input, without first informing Elliot, who feels that such an inclusion will disturb the historical aesthetics of the neighborhood.

During subsequent meetings, as Eliott and Kyra warily circle one another, we begin to learn about what makes the rest of the Association members tick. At least one of whom owes their position to a sort of nepotism. In between casual conversations, caustic remarks, and politically incorrect comments – including a discussion of the terms “Latino,” “Latinx” and “Hispanic” – and the continual sharing of neighborhood gossip, it becomes apparent none of them is as fully transparent as they appear. Each supposedly trying to do the right thing for the community, but all take their own personal situations into account when making decisions. Be it the location of a traffic light, hiring people to work for them at less-than-optimal conditions, or not obeying certain rules – such as disposal of a certain type of refuse. Matters eventually culminate in an emotional showdown where everyone must choose a side while also being called to account for their actions.

Clockwise from Left: Ricardo Chavira, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Richard Thomas, Anika Noni Rose, Jeena Yi, Marylouise Burke and Kayli Carter in MTC's The Balusters. Photograph: Jeremy Daniel

In addition to the play’s overall irony and one-liners that go off like firecrackers, Lindsay-Adaire also focuses on generational change. As when Elliot shows Kyra old photographs of the neighborhood, only for her to point out how all the people pictured are white. Elliot also undercuts Kyra’s traffic proposal by knocking on doors and talking directly to elderly homeowners who don’t use social media. Something Kyra apparently never considered when using Facebook.

Smartly directed by Kenny Leon, the entire cast plays off each other very well. Thomas works perfectly as a man who passionately believes he is doing the right thing in trying to keep the community together and that change need to be incremental and carefully thought out. However, his possessiveness has caused him to treat the neighborhood as his own personal fiefdom where his prejudices, particularly those concerning class distinction, eventually come to the fore.

     Richard Thomas, Anika Noni Rose in MTC's The Balusters. Photograph: Jeremy Daniel

Noni Rose’s character is a perfect match for Elliot, a fresh face in the Association who starts out wanting no trouble with anyone, but who won’t will let herself be pushed around. Determined to pass her own agenda, even if that entails using insider information to do so, she ends up being perhaps the biggest hypocrite of all.

Also key to the story is Margaret Colin as Ruth, an ally of Elliot who initially seems just a bit too sure of herself when making comments others wouldn’t dare voice aloud. She also turns quite serious when delivering a heartfelt speech about how, when judging someone, it’s important to look at what they’ve done in their entirety, rather than a single incident.

                              Margaret Colin in MTC's The Balusters. Photograph: Jeremy Daniel

Another standout is Marylouise Burke as an elderly member of the Association who may initially seem slow on the uptake, but is sharper than she lets on. She also figures in a conversation concerning who is more at fault when it comes to wrong assumptions, the person who made the error or one who knows the truth but doesn’t correct it.

The only part of the play which doesn’t ring true, other than it feeling like a sitcom at times, is a climatic physical altercation that comes off as quite unnecessary and rather jarring. It’s also not in keeping with the character in question as we have come to know them.

Serving morality mixed with laughter, The Balusters looks at imperfect people trying to make decisions for the many while not always believing the rules apply to everyone. 

(L-R) Jeena Yi, Marylouise Burke, Michael Esper and Richard Thomas in MTC’s The Balusters. Photograph: Jeremy Daniel

Featuring: Marylouise Burke (Penny Buell), Kayli Carter (Willow Gibbons), Ricardo Chavira (Isaac Rosario), Carl Clemons-Hopkins (Brooks Duncan), Margaret Colin (Ruth Ackerman), Michael Esper (Alan Kirby), Maria-Christina Oliveras (Luz Baccay), Anika Noni Rose (Krya Marshall), Richard Thomas (Eliott Emerson), Jeena Yi (Melissa Han)

The Balusters

Scenic Design: Derek McLane

Costume Design: Emilio Sosa

Lighting Design: Allen Lee Hughes

Original Music & Sound Design: Dan Moses Schreier

Hair, Wig & Make-up Design: J. Jared Janas

Fight Direction: Thomas Schall

Vocal Coach: Deborah Hecht

Movement & Associate Director: Ioana Alfonso

Casting: Caparelliotis Casting/Kelly Gillespie

Production Stage Manager: Tripp Phillps

Stage Manager: Janette Braggs

Directed by Kenny Leon

Presented by The Manhattan Theatre Club at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre

261 West 47th Street, New York City

Tickets: www.manhattantheatreclub.com

Running time: 1 hour 55 minutes, no intermission

Closes: June 21, 2026