KENREX - Previews & Reviews (Lucille Lortel Theatre, Off-Broadway)

1st preview now 1 day later.

STRICTLY LIMITED ENGAGEMENT - APRIL 16 - JUNE 27

Opening night: April 26th

Updated On: 4/17/26 at 02:06 AM

Still overpriced…

I just bought a ticket and it’s $57. How is that overpriced? lol

I grabbed a $32 rush ticket for this at the box office at about 6 last night and got a great seat in the second to last row of center orchestra. My only complaint about the seat was that I was right in front of a bunch of creatives and one was typing notes pretty loudly on their computer.

As for the show itself, I really enjoyed myself. I was recommended this show by a few friends who saw it in the West End and were effusive in their recommendations. I probably didn’t like it as much as they did, but I still very much liked it. Jack Holden is giving a truly incredible performance and it’s easy to see why he won the Olivier. He has complete mastery of his voice and body and it an impressive feat to witness. It can sometimes come across as a little showboaty, but if you’ve got it, flaunt it.

The technical elements are also very impressive. The sound, music, lighting, and direction do a great job of creating the atmosphere for the midwest true crime story. The score is stunning and performed live by its composer, John Patrick Elliott. (Side Note: The sound is incredibly loud at some points and I did put my concert earplugs in for a bit).

I don’t know that the play itself is anything to write home about. It’s a very interesting true story that is compelling, but I think it takes a little too long to get going. Act I is a little bit meandering. But about 15-20 minutes before the end of the Act, it gets really interesting. For the rest of the runtime, it doesn’t let up on the gas and is very exciting. I do think there’s a world where this is more successful as a one act. However, the staging and central performance elevate the play.

I think once word gets out about this one, ticket prices will go up, so I recommend seeing it early.

If this becomes a big hit do we think it will extend further into the summer? I won’t be coming to NYC til mid-July.
I grew up in Missouri very close to the town where the events in the show took place and REALLY want to see this!

Always a chance it could do a remount and change theaters (like Mexodus) if it happens to really take off.

I'm excited to see this in a couple of weeks! Bought tickets for my friend and I on a whim after seeing a trailer in an Instagram ad, which is something I've never done, so I'm glad to see that the buzz is corroborating how unique and creative it looks.

TaffyDavenport said: "yyys said: "last row balcony or wheelchair seat?


Johnm2 said: "I just bought a ticket and it’s $57. How is that overpriced? lol"

"
TodayTix was having a flash sale advertising $57 seats, which were onlythe wheelchair and companion seats, reinforcing what I’ve known for years, which is that the Lortel doesn’t care who sits in those seats (arguably the best seats in the house), and there is no repercussion for buying them.

"

I have low vision needs and actively sought box office approval to buy one (as some theatres do not view low vision needs as deemed for the discounted accessible seats, which is outrageous but another story). It was so hard getting approval!

No matter where you sit, it’s still kind of a tame evening



The actor does a good job at bouncing through all the different parts.


But in the end, it’s kind of a meh. As Frank says: “No real muscle.”

Well I thought this was absolutely fantastic. I wasn't familiar with the events of the story, but I think even if I was this would still be a very impressive showing. I love the way the story is framed with the prosecutor and how it dives into the viewpoints of each character. I've had a conversation recently about how a lot of the recent one person shows seem to really just be about flaunting an actor's talent without giving a compelling reason for the story to be told through a singular actor, but I think this show does make a case for it.

Jack Holden not only voices all the different characters distinctly but I loved seeing his physicality and movement and even the little choreographic flourishes in the transitions between scenes. All the pieces of the show come together extremely well, with lighting/sound/direction, and I assume it will tighten even more over the course of previews. It seems like only one song has been released on their Youtube channel but I really hope a full album comes out, since despite it not being an integral musical, the score plays as big a part in creating the story as anything else.

I found pacing of the plot and the suspense in discovering how the events unfold to be masterful (even when you can kind of figure out what's going to happen), but it still allowed for empathy for many of its characters. It felt to me like a cross between Dead Outlaw and Serial funneled through a one man show (plus a musician), though much darker than Dead Outlaw and without the off-kilter quirkiness it contained. It's easy to see how Jack Holden won the Olivier and I'll be wholeheartedly recommending this to people.

My one tiny nitpick is that it's said early on that most people call him "Ken Rex" and only his friends (of which he has few) call him Ken, but when the townspeople talk about him they all seem to just call him Ken.

KENREX on Spotify

Updated On: 4/20/26 at 12:13 AM

CoffeeBreak said: "KENREX on Spotify"

Thank you! Not sure how I managed to miss this

I won’t belabor it: DAMN, what a performance. It’s also a pretty thrilling technical marvel, especially in the intimate Lortel. The sound and lighting designs are as good as it gets. The play, as it stands, tends to lean a bit "surface," but when Holden is bringing so many characters to vivid, tangible life, it feels anything but.

The term gets thrown around so often it’s nearly lost its meaning, but Jack Holden is delivering a genuine tour de force. John Patrick Elliot is doing some really inconspicuous heavy-lifting, too. Highly recommend.

Updated On: 4/27/26 at 10:49 PM