Review: Fuse
Picture: FUSE, illustrating body parts (Image credit Creative Futures Photography).
Created and directed by Anabella Gregory, with writing by Ariel Franzmann, FUSE is a piece of verbatim physical theatre. Using words extracted from the 120-plus stories shared with the team, the piece draws on the circus, dance, and physical theatre skills of the creator and performers. As an exploration of ‘why do we gravitate towards certain people,’ FUSE presents audiences with several chapters or movements that illustrate moments of connection, provoking reflection about the nature of family, friendship, and partnership.
FUSE is a great demonstration of the professionalism and skills of the five performers (Holly Lightbody, Sam Giles, Ben Spalding, Jade Monet-Calleija, and Remi Thiesfield). They each have their moment at centre stage, but I found the interactions between the cast to be most compelling, which is unsurprising for a show that explores how ‘we are emotionally wired to connect.’ Memorable moments from the show included the ‘Dear you’ letters, the beautifully directed ‘campfire’ chat of reconnecting friends, and the cleverly choreographed moves of the ‘frames’ scene.
My favourite piece of the evening was the lineup of all five performers, each using torches to focus their individual monologues on and about body parts that included hand, head, eyes, and hair. But the circus/acro duet between Sam Giles and Ben Spalding was equally unforgettable. According to the program ‘fun facts,’ Spalding improvises the text each night—making it even more impressive as he stands at the centre of the stage, and continues to speak, while Giles endeavours to connect with him through various impactful acrobatic moves, leaps, and turns.
Gregory has also attracted a strong team of creatives for this new work. The set was simple, and yet flexible, and I wanted to be able to get closer to read some of the intriguing lines written on the props/boxes, and to see the details of their interesting makeup design. I loved the clever lighting choices—in particular the use of the lights as part of the set, as well as the torches and lit ‘picture frames’ (Carys Walsh, Lighting Designer). The excellent sound design and musical choices (Andrew Oxford, Sound Designer) illustrated the mood and movement of the cast, and enhanced the experience.
Picture: FUSE. Credit: Creative Futures Photography.
Picture: FUSE (Image credit: Creative Futures Photography).
Picture: FUSE. Credit: Creative Futures Photography.
Picture: FUSE. Image credit: Creative Futures Photography.
I am sure that the cast and creatives will have identified ways in which this show might be further developed, possibly with an overarching narrative, additional pieces about the spark of attraction, or more clearly established central characters. But this is already a very professional piece of work, so it might be that the creator is already looking for future places to show FUSE, or has new projects in the pipeline. Sadly this premiere run of FUSE at Brisbane’s 2025 Backbone Festival has a very short run. If you do manage to grab a ticket before it closes, make sure you plan to arrive early for the show. The creators recommend arriving 30 minutes before the time on your ticket, to ensure that you have sufficient time to visit the Amphitheatre ‘art market’ and connect with the talented young visual artists (Tallulah Bennetton, Piumi Herath, Pluto Albina, Lottie Nella, and Eva Stolberg).
Backbone Festival provides a great platform for young artists to share works in development—both to showcase their collective skills and ideas, and to demonstrate how they are collaborating with experienced artists and trainers. It is easy to see how working with the support of Flipside Circus has contributed to the development of FUSE, and I also felt I could see influences from Gregory’s involvement with Zen Zen Zo. The 2025 theme for Backbone Festival is ‘Look Up;’ perhaps ‘look out’ might be more appropriate, as works such as FUSE are a great demonstration of Brisbane’s emerging talent.
Picture: FUSE. Image Credit: Creative Futures Photography.
Audience information: FUSE, Ron Hurley Theatre, Seven Hills Hub, 28 Tallowwood Street, Seven Hills (9-11 October 2025). 50 minutes, plus the producers recommend ticketholders arrive 30 minutes early to view the Amphitheatre Art Market. Use of bright lights, minimal swearing, and references to adult topics (including sexual content and references to grief and intimacy). Onsite bar/drinks available. Tickets $30-35 plus $1.38 transaction fee.
Additional Credit: Paige Elms, Stage Manager
The reviewer attended the Thursday 9th October premiere (6pm Art Market, 6:30pm performance).
This review first appeared at Nothing Ever Happens in Brisbane.