Aleister Crowley: A Passion For Evil

Credited with being an inspiration to everybody from The Beatles to L. Ron Hubbard, there’s a great deal of celebrity allure surrounding Aleister Crowley. This show, starring, written and directed by Highlands-based actor and writer John Burns, aims to dispel some of the mystery, as Crowley looks back on his life whilst backstage at one of his ceremonial magick performances.

The story is an intriguing one: Crowley’s father was a preacher in a sect, and died of tongue cancer when Crowley was 11; in later life, Crowley admitted to taking part in drug and sex orgies, and formed a cult around himself; he was even rumoured to have been involved with MI6. Unfortunately, Burns lacks a deft touch when in comes portraying this complicated character; on the contrary, both the writing and his acting are far too hammy, and an air of camp theatricality smothers the entire production.

C Central, until 28 Aug (not 22 or 23), 4.15pm, £8.50–£10.50 (£7.50–£9.50)