It seems that being in the Trav bar simultaneously with Mark Ravenhill, Alan Carr and David Greig was not to be the pinnacle of my excitement for today.

I then had the pleasure of overhearing a conversation between Joyce MacMillan and presumably some other reviewer. She plopped down next to me in one of the few remaining seats for The Doubtful Guest. She then spent three minutes writhing around and squinting about the place to see what fellow cronies she might see. Eventually she alighted on this fellow a couple of rows behind. "So, have you seen anything good so far, as they say?" she quipped to he. They fell into a conversation about Faust out at Ingliston. The only five stars he's awarded so far apparently. She agrees, wholeheartedly gave it five stars. Thought it was superb. And so thought-provoking. The only trouble she had had was those bastard subs who had cut down an already too mean 300 words. And my goodness she could have written so much more. And they stuck it in a measley bottom of the page position. Wholly undeserving.

Good to know that even Joyce doesn't always get the recognition her reviews deserve. I also got a very substandard bottom of the page position for my latest Evening News review. I know how she feels.