Festival Diary: Would that Burns had gied us plays

"What needs this din about the town o' Lon'on, How this new play an' that new song is comin? Is there no poet burning keen for fame, will boldly try to gie us plays at hame?"

So Robert Burns lamented the lack of Scottish drama in 1790 — clearly anticipating the moment when Edinburgh would be overrun with English. The Fringe says there are about 35 Shakespeare shows this year, but can find only five Burns productions.

All right, the bloke was a poet, but he wanted to write for the stage, says Donald Smith, author of Burns: The Video Diary, opening at the Scottish Storytelling Centre last night. He read dramas and made friends with actors, but establishment Edinburgh would have shunned plays by the Ploughman Poet.

Local thespian Gavin Paul writes, in the character of Burns, in the show's blog. "Are actors mere puppets to be jiggled at will — Are we just poor players, toasted in the pit and tainted in the town?"

Doggone rules

Piff the Magic Dragon, aka magician John Van Der Put, has had his performing chihuhua banned by the Ghillie Dhu. Mr Piffles, more placid than a white rabbit, fell foul of the no-dogs policy after appearing in Vive le Cabaret. Staff got dogmatic and Mr Piffles got barred — although apparently he is is virtually an honorary member at London's Soho House, a far more salubrious establishment.

Taking a Stand

Peter Mandelson, was spotted enjoying himself in the Stand Comedy Club at Simon Munnery's show yesterday. Stand boss Tommy Sheppard enjoyed the irony — the club was almost created by New Labour. He set it up in 1997 with the redundancy cash when he was "let go" from his senior post in the Scottish Labour Party.