Fusion
Production: Check in with Fusion
Venue: Central Hall
Rating: ****
It has been greatly impressed upon us by this year’s committee that Fusion ’09 is different. Instead of the accustomed ‘Fusion is amazing’ propaganda, emphasis has been placed upon the charitable aspect of the project, with Tim Ngwena securing chair through the promise to vastly increase the final sum donated.
Despite the unfortunate petitioning of some Freshers at the autumn term YUSU Fair to join ‘The most attractive society on campus’, press relations and the overall campaign have been given a slick redesign. We at Nouse were (in a somewhat deluded scheme) invited to attend the auditions for models, all in aid of showing the egalitarian nature of the selection process. A panel composed of the beatific Fusion-elect pick out those who can ‘walk to the beat’ – but so far, so Old Fusion. The trusty ‘walk to the beat’ excuse becomes -as one witnesses the male models lumber about the stage- more of a comic motif. I’m all for the pretty ones being selected, but sometimes you just wish they’d be more outrageously open about it. A fair and suitable criterion would be ‘tall and thin’.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed ‘Check in with Fusion’ more than last year’s effort. At no point did I become bored, and the chief gripe with last year’s production – that of having nothing happen on the stage after every scene – has been fixed, with a constant flow of activity at all times. The way this was achieved was through a central protagonist travelling through six cities. Whilst a convenient mechanism, the character was limited in its effectiveness. Against the bright costumes and energetic dancing of the other cast members, the protagonist appeared to have been cast as the typical pleb on holiday, expressing only the emotions of happiness, perplexity and mild disappointment.
Modelling scenes were a mixed bag. The initial punk-influenced scene stood out as the only one to really take on board the character and verve of the city it represented and combine it with interesting direction. The stage felt alive and the clothes were the best of the night, with later scenes, especially those featuring the male models in averagely-cut suits, suffering by comparison. The fluoro-geisha modelling scene innovatively managed to blend both the Harajuku and geisha traditions of Japan, but was a little let down by some limp arms in the required dance element. The dance performances comprising the majority of the show began to feel samey by the end, but Harriet Waghorn gave a stellar individual effort. Her on point dance in the Moscow section was a particular highlight.
Fusion 2009 offers next year’s committee a good platform to build upon. I was expecting torpor but came away quite entertained. There remains a dilemma, however. Central Hall is a large venue with the capacity to be used in daring and adventurous ways – essentially it offers the opportunity for a ‘Wow’ moment. Though un-wowed, I can comfortably say that Fusion is worth the ticket price.
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Hello
Thank you for the FOUR STAR rating on the show, and I accept some of the comments, however you came to a dress rehearsal and watched 1 of our many run through s of the show. Furthermore, our lighting and video wasn’t being used so the show wasn’t quite all the way there with the “wow” factor that your looking for.
The show is now polished and ready for performance, as I speak, 435 students are preparing to entertain all those that will be coming to watch both today and tomorrow and I promise you will be “wowed”
If we get a 4 star rating for a dress rehearsal then expect a 5 star performance tonight.
I rest my case !!
keep it cool