Kenrex, the critically acclaimed one-person play co-written and performed by Olivier Award nominee Jack Holden, will follow up three sold-out runs across London with a spring engagement at New York’s Lucille Lortel Theatre Off Broadway.
The 11-week limited run begins previews Wednesday, April 15, with opening night set for Sunday, April 26.
Co-written with Ed Stambollouian, who directs, Kenrex is a true-crime thriller based on a notorious 1981 Missouri killing in which a law-breaking bully named Ken Rex McElroy was gunned down after terrorizing small town Skidmore for decades. Despite taking place in daylight and in front of a large crowd of townspeople, no one called an ambulance nor came forward to testify, and the killing remains officially unsolved.
“As much as UK audiences have responded to this play, at its core this is a deeply American story,” said Holden and Stambollouian in a statement. “We are thrilled for this chance to present it to American audiences.”
The American premiere of the play will be produced by Aria Entertainment, Seaview and TRW Production.
The production features an original score performed live by John Patrick Elliott. Set and costume design are by Anisha Fields, lighting and video design by Joshua Pharo, sound design by Giles Thomas, with movement direction by Sarah Golding.
The London production sold out runs at the Southwark Playhouse Borough, Sheffield Theatre and, most recently, The Other Palace. Reviews were overwhelmingly positive, with The Sunday Times calling it a “masterclass in acting and storytelling,” and The Guardian praising Holden’s portrayal of various characters as “an astonishing performance.”
Holden’s debut play Cruise, described as “a musical odyssey through Soho and the AIDS crisis of the 1980s,” was nominated for the Olivier Award for Best New Play 2022. He is under commission to the Almeida Theatre and is adapting Alan Hollinghurst’s Booker Prize-winning novel The Line of Beauty for a staging this fall.
His TV acting credits include John Morton’s Ten Percent (Amazon) and Stefan Golaszewski’s Marriage (BBC One), among others.
English (US) ·