National Theatre of Scotland

REVIEWS FOR WALL OF DEATH: A WAY OF LIFE

08/02/10

In April, the National Theatre of ­Scotland is staging Peter Pan. If that production is half as ­weightless as the Ken Fox Troupe riding the Wall of Death, it will be breathtaking. ­Harnessing the properties of ­centrifugal force, this ­family of old-school ­entertainers ride their low-slung Indian motorcycles around a vertiginous drum with heart-stopping panache. You will believe a boy can fly.

When they tell you to keep your ­fingers from the edge as you peer into their cylinder down a sheer six-metre wall, you assume it is all part of the end-of-the-pier patter. You can imagine these grungy "vertical riders" as part of the creepy funfair in Something Wicked This Way Comes, and you expect a bit of showbiz hyperbole.

But it is nothing of the kind. In turn, the four riders rev their engines, circle the wall and mock the laws of gravity as they breeze past our noses with a combination of reckless abandon and choreographic grace. This is a show not to be missed.
The Guardian * * * *

The National Theatre of Scotland’s amazing Wall Of Death . . . is a one-hour entertainment that exists right out in the borderlands where theatre and showmanship meet installation art.

. . . At the end of the evening, we have plenty to celebrate and to think about. There’s the sheer skill of the performance, which simply commands respect and delight. But beyond that, there’s a subtle, thoughtful tribute to a travelling, risk-taking way of life that has ancient roots, and is under constant threat in our crowded and sanitised modern world. And there’s a rich combination of beauty, and sadness, and sheer, hair-raising fun.
The Scotsman * * * *

A visit to this breath-taking collaboration between (Stephen) Skrynka, the National Theatre of Scotland and veteran stunt riders The Ken Fox Troupe should enlighten any cynic who might suggest those involved are merely slumming it.

. . .It's the  ultimate in thrill-seeking audience spectacle, but it's also serious art, that embraces showmanship, choreography and large-scale Happening.

. . . An unmissable, awe-inspiring experience.
The Herald * * * *

The sound of revving engines is enough to awaken the sleeping serpent coiled at the bottom of your spine, but it is the performance that follows that will pump your adrenal glands to sheer jaw dropping exhilaration.

A sexy, greasy, extreme carnival rush. Book your tickets now!
The List * * * * *

Thrillingly visceral, the wall of death side-show has been brought into the heart of the latest production from the National Theatre of Scotland, as director Vicky Featherstone continues to explore the boundaries of theatrical experience in a collaboration with performance artist Stephen Skrynka and the Ken Fox Troupe.

Against the throb of the engines, thunder of tyres across the wooden boards and squeal of the crowd as the daredevils rise up to within a hand span of where they stand peering over the top of the wall, the athletic stunts are pure theatre.

Here, as much as could be caught or evoked on any other stage, is a glimpse of a way of life.
The Stage

Thrilling and theatrical, the National Theatre of Scotland’s latest piece of sight-specific theatre arrives at the Royal Highland Centre with the piece’s originator, Stephen Skrynka, finally succeeding in riding his motorbike up onto the lipped edge of the wooden wall of death.

. . . It is Skrynka’s rising to the challenge which makes Wall of Death: A Way of Life the event it is.

. . . after the members of the Ken Fox Troupe have performed on the wall; after you have witnessed the roar of tyres across the wooden wall; after you have smelt the fumes coming off the bikes; after you have pulled back as the riders come to within inches of where you stand at the top of the wall; after all this, Skrynka’s slow, teetering journey around the ring suddenly gives a real gravity to what had previously seemed effortless.
Annals of the Edinburgh Stage * * * *