Review: Kenrex at Playhouse, Sheffield Theatre

“…engaging and energetic…”

Kenrex by Jack Holden and Ed Stambollouian, Playhouse, Sheffield Theatre

by Phil Scown

Before the action begins, we see the set and this provides clues about what is to come. There is a US flag on a standard, a large professional reel-to-reel tape recorder, a recording studio, a high-level stage, what looks like an armoured glass booth, and a lot of stand microphones around the set. We are going back into America’s recent past.

We soon learn that we are in small-town America; the story is about how Ken Rex McElroy bullies the town, and the actions that follow. This is not a telling of a cuddly story, as we might get from Garrison Keillor in his tales about the fictional small town, Lake Wobegon. This is a tale of actual events in an actual town: Skidmore, Missouri.  Based on the book In Broad Daylight (1988 Harry Maclean) we have an account of what took place in 1981 and the years before.

The play has been described as a one-man play, with Jack Holden playing all the parts.  I’m not completely convinced with that as a description.  There is live music and the musician, John Patrick Elliott, is on stage the whole time.  It’s not a speaking part, but the music plays a key part in setting the moods for the various scenes.  There are also some other recorded voices; that’s a technicality. 

Jack Holden demonstrates an ability to play a wide range of convincing parts.  In the role of Richard Gene McFadin, lawyer for Ken Rex, there is humour. This portrayal garnered applause from the audience for its humour and convincing archetype.  As Ken Rex there is actual menace, Jack Holden seems to grow larger when playing this part.  He is also aided by an extraordinarily deep voice in this role.  If this is the result of sound technology then it is totally effective.  Ken Rex’s young wife, Trena, is portrayed as vulnerable and child-like. The roles of newly-qualified state prosecutor David Baird, the mayor and other townsfolk, also convince.  It is a high energy performance from Jack Holden: there is calm when required, but frantic activity in the action.  Switching between roles seems effortless – masters of their trades always make the difficult look easy.  All of this is supported by the on-stage musical performance of John Patrick Elliott.  The music, as befits the play’s setting, is country and country-rock. It is never intrusive and always enhances the mood of each scene.

The unfolding of events is a vehicle for deeper issues.  The difference between the legal outcome of investigation and trial, and achieving justice, is starkly illustrated during the play and in its conclusion.  It’s not that the law is an ass, it’s that ‘the law’ can be completely inadequate.  Something else hidden away in the play is how life events make us who we are and what we are.  Where does blame lie for the events that took place?

The energy of the production was perhaps part of why it received an enthusiastic reception from the audience. This is a thoroughly engaging and energetic play and is to be recommended.

Kenrex plays at Playhouse, Sheffield Theatre until Saturday 16 November. Tickets can be booked through the Box Office in person, over the phone on 0114 249 6000 or at sheffieldtheatres.co.uk.

Phil Scown has been a regular theatre-goer since his student days many years ago. Mysteries, thrillers, ghost stories, comedies and musicals are all part of his theatre diet. Phil writes short stories in a variety of genres, some of which have become screenplays. He likes to tour England, Scotland and France, nowadays by car rather than motorcycle. At other times Phil likes to cook and to drive his Caterham, though generally not at the same time.