If you’ve ever seen a performance by Anton Adasinsky you’ll know that Mephistopheles, the seductive demon from the Faust legend, is the role he was born to play. ‘Very often theatre critics were mentioning devilry, the infernal, even Satanism in characters I played, although I always think about myself as a good clown,’ says the founder of multi-award winning physical theatre company Derevo.

The Russian-born choreographer finally began to take these allusions seriously when director Alexander Sokurov invited him to play Mephistopheles in his movie adaptation of Faust, which won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 2011. ‘At the same time I started to create this show, Mephisto Waltz, where I put everything I thought was too private or unnecessary to bring to the stage.’

Derevo’s interpretation of Faust, performed by five members of the company including Adasinsky, features a blend of physical storytelling and clowning set to music, most prominently extracts from Franz Liszt’s Mephisto Waltzes.

Adasinsky is particularly looking forward to performing the piece in Edinburgh where the company has built up a formidable following. ‘Reaction to our shows is different in every country, but Edinburgh is special. This is a strict audience but all those awards we’ve been getting for the last ten years tell us that we’ve passed the exam successfully.’

Assembly Roxy, 623 3030, 4–27 Aug (not 13, 20), 8pm, £12–£14 (£11–£13). Previews 2 & 3 Aug, £9.