Shawn Says: Faustine Is a Hell of a Good Time—Smart, Scary, and Sublimely Sung
- Shawn Maus
- Jun 11
- 2 min read
Review: Faustine by Lydia Brinkman and Sarah Norcross Directed by Michael Ortiz | Produced by Josh Reiter June 12–14 at Wave Pool Contemporary Art Center, Cincinnati
Producer Josh Reiter has conjured up the perfect underworld for Faustine inside the Wave Pool Contemporary Art Center at 2940 Colerain Avenue. It’s a gritty, intimate venue that’s just right for staging a full-blown musical exorcism—and trust me, this one sticks with you.
Faustine tells the story of a brilliant but burnt-out PhD candidate who makes a deal with the devil for a completed dissertation. It’s part possession, part performance art, part fever dream—all wrapped up in a 60-minute musical thrill ride.
Rotating performers Lydia Brinkman and Sarah Norcross each bring their own take to the role, but on the night I saw the show, Brinkman left scorched marks on the stage. She doesn’t just perform Faustine—she inhabits it. Crawling, writhing, howling, and belting her way through a descent into academis, spiritual, and musical madness, she channels something between Frank Wildhorn’s Jekyll & Hyde and Linda Blair’s Regan—only with sharper comedic timing and stronger vocals.
Director Michael Ortiz deserves a proper shout-out here. Though the show wasn’t originally conceived or designed for the Wave Pool space, Ortiz’s direction adapts beautifully. He uses the environment to full effect, creating moments of claustrophobia, catharsis, and chaos that allow Brinkman to unleash her full range of talents.
The score—co-written by Brinkman and Norcross—blends the theatricality of Sondheim, the drama of Lloyd Webber, and the lyricism of Tim Rice. There’s a toe-tapping opener (yes, I saw you grooving, person-sitting-next-to-me), gut-punch laments about group texts and ghosting, and multimedia that screams “FRINGE!”—even though this isn’t an official part of the Cincinnati Fringe Festival lineup.
That said, this show is bound for the Edinburgh Fringe, and it deserves to be. It’s raw. It’s real. It’s a little scary. And it’s proof that independent theater is alive and kicking—with blood, sweat, and literal tears.
Reiter warns in his curtain speech, “The devil is hot.” No lies detected.
Shawn Says: This isn’t just a musical—it’s a possession. Don’t miss it before it hits Edinburgh. A musical theatrical masterclass in exorcising your inner demons... and your dissertation.
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