There are very few times in a theatre where one is completely blown away, astonished by the concept, the story and the performers on stage. Yet this sensation of being utterly mesmerised, in this case by Jack Holden’s stunning portrayal, is all that is possible to feel after watching the incredible Kenrex.

Centred around the brutal Ken Rex McElroy, who, along with his underage wife Trina, abuses, harasses and bullies the people of Skidmore into submission. That is, until one day, when the town fights back. The play does not need to delve into McIlroy’s backstory; it is his ‘present’ that is the most interesting, with his life and death, retold by prosecutor David Baird, a symbol of the law McIlroy so blatantly floated, and a law that so badly let down Skidmore’s desperate community. 

Told through a number of different chapters, we are introduced not just to Ken, but to his cunning, conniving lawyer Richard McFadden (played so well by Holden you forget he’s not his own performer), his awful, complex wife, and his town’s enemies and very few friends. It is a brilliant story, one that, in the era of true crime podcasts and tv thrillers, stands alone as something much rawer, much more volatile and visceral, largely down to Jack Holden’s incredible solo performance. 

Holden captures a cast of over twenty characters in this exceptional individual performance. It is completely engrossing and enthralling, with subtle positional shifts or tweaks in intonation bringing to the stage each member of Skidmore’s embattled community, desperate to rid themselves of the McIlroy plague. Whether stalking the stage as the barbaric bully, recoiling as a terrified Pastor or strutting as a flirtatious barmaid, Holden’s ability to quickly switch from person to person is mesmerising, and helps to keep the piece at a terrific pace, enabling Skidmore and McIlroy’s collapse to come to the fore with full force. 

As McIlroy Holden limps, holding his body in awkward, contorted positions that are unsettling and captivating in equal measure. His limited dialogue makes a mercurial figure, one that is as calculated and chilling, grunting and murmuring before exploding into unpredictable fits of rage. As McFadden, Holden sprints, skips and giggles with each collapsed trial or acquittal, fuelling the rage not just of the townspeople but the audience too as McIlroy continues to escape justice. A play as much about a flawed judicial system as it is a violent thug, McFadden is a terrific, infuriating example of those who keep getting away with it. 

The piece is also supported by onstage musician John Patrick Elliott. Elliott’s score, largely lifted from rock and country influences, works successfully to immerse us in America’s backwater, while also being used to express the raw violence of McIlroy and build unbearable tension during the play’s climactic moments. 

This combines well with Alisha Fields’ set design, using a minimalist style with a platform, a police recorder and a neat insulated sound booth to give Holden enough space to breathe and move with frenetic energy to bring such a chaotic, intoxicating, sense of tension to the fore. Just like Holden, who also co-penned the piece with Ed Stambollouian, who also directs, everything in this piece is pitched perfectly for maximum impact. 

While Ken Rex McIlroy was not a perfect man, the play about him and his reign of terror is about as perfect as you can get. This is the ultimate in true crime presentation, and it sets the standard for what a gripping solo show should include. Just like for the people of Skidmore, all complicit in his reign ending, the life of Ken Rex McIlroy, and his violence, will live long in the memory of everyone who sees this incredible, unbelievable play. 

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