WHAT’S ON Arts, gigs, shows and comedy, it’s all going

Wales’ rock pop masters Stereophonics play Cardiff 14 & 15 March

PLAYS / FILM / PERFORMANCES 29 February CARMEN Jo Davies’ new production, set in 1970s Central America, delivers all the passion of Bizet’s enduring opera from the famous Toreador Song to Carmen’s provocative Habanera. Donald Gordon Theatre, WNO; www.wmc.org.uk

5 – 14 March THE BEAUTY PARADE The tale of three ordinary women who were plucked from obscurity and parachuted behind enemy lines. These falling women, spiralling through the dark became saboteurs and silent killers. The project’s code name? The Beauty Parade. Weston Studio, WMC; www.wmc.org.uk

9 – 14 March BEAUTIFUL – THE CAROLE KING MUSICAL Beautiful tells the musical story of Carole King’s remarkable rise to stardom, from being part of a hit song-writing team with her husband Gerry Goffin, to her relationship with fellow writers and best friends Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann. Donald Gordon Theatre, WMC; www.wmc.org.uk

10 – 13 March TYLWYTH Aneurin has been running away from his past, but – thanks to Grindr – he unexpectedly finds love. When he and Dan decide to adopt,

14 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk it seems their world is complete. But as he adjusts to being a dad and tries to move on from his reckless past, Aneurin is forced to confront his demons. Performed in Welsh. Sherman Theatre; www.shermantheatre.co.uk

10 – 14 March AN INSPECTOR CALLS After a sell-out London season and American tour, Stephen Daldry’s multi award-winning production for the National Theatre returns. When Inspector Goole arrives unexpectedly at the prosperous Birling family home, their peaceful dinner party is shattered by his investigations into the death of a young woman. New Theatre Cardiff; www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk

17 – 21 March BLUE STOCKINGS Te ss, Carolyn, Maeve and Celia arrive to study at Girton College, Cambridge in 1896. Though just as smart as their male counterparts, they have not had formal education and are labelled as ‘unladylike and unnatural’ for choosing education over a ‘normal’ woman’s life. These pioneering women were given the derisive nickname the ‘Blue Stockings’. Chapter; www.chapter.org

25 March BANFF MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL WORLD TOUR 2020 Witness and be amazed by epic human-powered feats, life affirming challenges and mind-blowing cinematography. St David’s Hall; www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.ukx

MUSIC / BANDS 3 March MICHAEL BALL & ALFIE BOE This 2020 ‘Back Together’ UK tour follows the phenomenal success of the duo’s previous two duet albums, Together their debut, which became the UK’s best-selling album of 2016 and the follow-up Together Again which brought the pair a no.1 album in 2017. Motorpoint Arena Cardiff; www.motorpointarenacardiff.co.uk

6 March ANI GLASS Cardiff-based producer and artist Ani Glass brings her electronic pop sounds sung in Welsh to Clwb Ifor Bach to launch her new album Mirores. Turn to page 13 for more. Clwb Ifor Bach; www.clwb.net

6 March JONAS BLUE The multi-platinum artist and producer, with more than 8 billion global streams and over 45 million singles sales, is a pop powerhouse with hits including Fast Car, Perfect Strangers and Polaroid. Cardiff Tramshed; www.tramshedcardiff.com

7 March PAUL CARRACK

left: An exhibition of paintings by Peter Prendergast begins at Martin Tinney Gallery on 11 March below: See saxophonist Xhosa Cole perform at The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama on 13 March

Having returned from touring Japan and the USA as a featured instrumentalist with the Eric Clapton Band, Paul has been making high-quality, accessible pop-soul with unmissable hooks and lyrics for decades, earning him acclaim, awards and a huge fan base. St David’s Hall; www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk

13 March XHOSA COLE As part of a special AmserJazzTime for BBC Young Musician week the 2018 BBC Young Jazz Musician competition winner, saxophonist Xhosa Cole from Birmingham performs. The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama; www.rwcmd.ac.uk

14 & 15 March STEREOPHONICS With unparalleled longevity and continued success, Wales’ rock pop masters Stereophonics are a band woven into the fabric of popular music. With their latest album Kind, Kelly Jones continues to cement his place amongst the great British songwriters with an ability to sketch and capture truth and beauty from everyday observations as well as delving into his own life experiences. Motorpoint Arena Cardiff; www.motorpointarenacardiff.co.uk

16 March ELVIS COSTELLO & THE IMPOSTERS The tour entitled Just Trust is in answer to the musical question, ‘Can we expect the hits of yesteryear and those of tomorrow?’ The response is, ‘Just Trust Elvis Costello and The Imposters.’ Donald Gordon Theatre, WMC; www.wmc.org.uk

COMEDY 4 March PAUL MCCAFFREY: LEMON Paul tells of how he struggles to get to grips with being spied on by the Chinese through his new phone, talks about married life and how he ruined his honeymoon, shares his thoughts on idiotic self-help books that keep getting recommended to him, and reveals how he set fire to his oven gloves. Glee Club Cardiff; www.glee.co.uk

13 March SUZI RUFFELL: DANCE LIKE EVERYONE’S WATCHING This show has everything. – there’s a mix of storytelling, observations, a dash of social politics, and a lovely routine about a smear test. Sherman Theatre; www.shermantheatre.co.uk

ART, PHOTOGRAPHY & EXHIBITIONS Until 7 March LITTLE TREASURES This is a group exhibition themed around ‘small-in-size’ paintings. The beautiful collection will feature a variety of mediums from contemporary artists who include Pamela Kay, Ann Oram, Gwyn Roberts, Rosa Sepple, and the still-life and landscape painter Simon Laurie. Albany Gallery; www.albanygallery.com

Until 8 March FABULOUS ANIMAL This is an event that’s part of an ongoing process, presenting dance through multiple and surprising mediums and dealing with radical concepts about power and gender. Situated within a diverse community and drawing on work spanning continents. Fabulous Animal deconstructs notions of body conformity subtly and respectfully, inviting audiences to create their own physical identity. Cardiff MADE; www.cardiffmade.com

Until 4 May MARTIN PARR IN WALES This exhibition brings together, for the first time, Parr’s works that explore different aspects of Welsh life and culture, including male voice choirs, coal mining, and the seaside. On 27 March actor Michael Sheen will be interviewing Martin Parr about his work in the Reardon Smith Lecture Theatre. National Museum Cardiff; www.museum.wales

Until 10 May IMAGINE A CASTLE This touring exhibition, which is supported by Art Fund, of five paintings from the National Gallery, London, will complement and highlight the rich and diverse representations of castles in the museum’s existing collections. Amgueddfa Cymru– National Museum Wales; www.museum.wales

above: Jo Davies’ new WNO production of Carmen is set in 1970s America; right: Tylwyth, a play about the past and parenthood, performs at the Sherman Theatre; below: It’s the final round of the Six Nations on 14 March when Wales meets Scotland

Until 2021 MISSION: PLANET EARTH Embarking on a mission through time and space, this virtual reality journey shows what Wales was like millions of years ago, including prehistoric giant bugs, and dinosaurs. Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Cardiff; www.museum.wales

11 March – 2 April PETER PRENDERGAST Fiercely proud of his Welsh heritage, much of the artist’s work was committed to Wales and its spectacular scenery. Martin Tinney Gallery; www.artwales.com

SPORT 8 March CARDIFF DEVILS V SHEFFIELD STEELERS Challenge Cup Final, face off 4pm. Viola Arena, Cardiff International Sports Village; www.cardiffdevils.com

14 March WALES V SCOTLAND Final round of the Six Nations, kick off 2.15pm. Principality Stadium; www.principalitystadium.wales

Daisy Wood Davis plays songwriter Carole King in the musical Beautiful coming to Cardiff on 9 March

15 March CARDIFF CITY V LEEDS Sky Bet Championship, kick off 3pm. Cardiff City; www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk

21 March CARDIFF CITY V CHARLTON Sky Bet Championship, kick off 3pm. Cardiff City; www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk

22 March CARDIFF DEVILS V MANCHESTER STORM League, face off 6pm. Viola Arena, Cardiff International Sports Village; www.cardiffdevils.com

OTHER 17 March WILLIAM SHATNER Following the screening of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, William Shatner will take to the stage to share fascinating and humorous behind-the-scenes stories from portraying the original Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek television series and movies, as well as his career spanning over 50 years as an award-winning actor, producer, director and writer. Donald Gordon Theatre, WMC; www.wmc.org.uk

26 March PLANET EARTH II: LIVE IN CONCERT 2020 Hosted by TV presenter Liz Bonnin, this brings sensational footage from the award winning BBC series and guarantees to make audiences feel closer than ever to the planet’s spellbinding animals, the stunning landscapes and wildlife dramas. Turn to page 82 for our Just Visiting talk with Liz. Motorpoint Arena Cardiff; www.motorpointarenacardiff.co.uk n

Louise is bringing her Heavy Love tour to Cardiff Tramshed on 14 March, in support of her just released, new album Heavy Love. Louise rose to fame as a member of Eternal, the first girl band ever to sell over one million copies of an album with their 1993 debut Always & Forever, and as a solo artist Louise has had 18 consecutive top 20 singles. She has two sons with her former husband, the footballer Jamie Redknapp, who she was married to for 19 years.

We look forward to welcoming you in Cardiff in March. Do you know much about Wales? After touring with Amber Davis in the musical 9 to 5, she grew up in Wales and spoke about it a lot. So I feel like I’ve got to know the country a lot more over the past year!

When have you visited? I think it would have been with the Strictly tour in 2017, and then with the last record promo before that. The last time where I would have performed my own songs, would have been touring the last studio album, so that was a long time ago. I’m really looking forward to coming back.

Your appearance on Strictly Come Dancing in 2016 seemed to be a rejuvenation of yourself and your goals. What was it that kickstarted such an energy? I don’t really think it was the programme, I think it was more getting into having a real purpose everyday and getting back into the studio. It gave me the fire in my belly to get back out there and start working again. Have you kept that high going? I think it’s impossible to keep that high going, I just keep my head down and work hard and really try and conquer all the ambitions I’ve got.

Are you nervous about delivering this new material after a gap to raise your family? I’m actually really excited. When you make an album, one of the main things you look forward to is taking that album on tour and this album was made very much with touring and playing it live in mind. I just can’t wait to get on stage and bring it all to life.

What will be in your Cardiff rider? Tequila. And more tequila, ha ha! Oh and maybe some fruit…

Do you think sons Charley and Beau will follow a musical or sporting path? At the moment they both love their sport, but they are also into their music. The little one’s really into rapping and the big one’s interested in getting into DJing.

Have they come to see you perform at all? Yes they have. For me, it’s always such a huge comfort having them there. It’s so lovely having your kids watching and you want to do a great job for them and make them proud. I think it’s nice for them to see the job I do.

Any St David’s Day messages for our readers? Diwrnod hapus St David – have a tequila and enjoy!

For more: www.tramshedcardiff.com

74b Albany Road, Cardiff, CF24 3RS | T: 029 2048 7158 | E: info@albanygallery.com Gallery open: Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm, Sundays and Bank Holidays 11am-4pm

WYBURN & WAYNE Move over Ant & Dec. Make way Edina & Patsy. Stand aside Batman & Robin. Our dynamic duo are in town and they’re here to give us the low down on the Cardiff high life

Cardiff seems to be more exciting than ever of late, more stunning venues opening, more huge shows announced... we nearly can’t keep up, but we’ll always do our best to bring you the latest and hottest entertainment news.

As spring arrives, along with the fl ower buds, there’s a whole host of new and amazing shows headed to Cardiff . We’ve been to see a lot of them in the past few weeks, starting with a live Q&A with global superstar Caitlyn Jenner, hosted by Roman Kemp at the new ICC Newport. The event was fascinating and a real insight into her life where she discussed everything from her family and her transition, to her time in the jungle for the show I’m A Celebrity. We were lucky enough to get to meet up with her before and after the show. and she’s very down to earth and warm.

The New Theatre welcomed the Agatha Christie classic, A Murder is Announced, which was thrilling. It had all the pieces of a ‘whodunit’ puzzle you could wish for, twists, turns, a dose of comedy and even cake. Neither of us guessed the culprit, so I guess we’ll never fi nd a second career as a crime solving Cardiff duo.

But we have tracked down a few drag shows recently, and they are never a drag! First off we attended The Glee Club to watch the latest show from KlubKidz featuring the stars of Rupaul’s Drag Race UK. Nathan gave a work of his art to Blu Hydrangea and she loved it. The show was a wonderful refl ection of British drag and we urge anyone to always check out The Glee Club’s upcoming events as these are becoming quite a regular fi xture.

La Voix, a drag superstar, was in town. She opened her brand new show The UK’s Funniest Redhead. (Nathan actually tried to argue that claim being of the

With Pzazz Productions at The Eros Ball Catching up with the funniest redhead ever La Voix

Chatting to The Beauty Parade’s Kaite O’Reilly

same hair colour persuasion himself!) at The Sherman Theatre and it was outstanding. We got the chance to catch up with her beforehand whilst we were in London for an interview – she’s always a hoot!

Speaking of London, we attended Madonna’s London Palladium show twice in a week, and had the time of our lives. To see an icon as close as we did like that is always incredible – the show is like no other, art, theatre, politics and pop all mashed in one. Nathan was also fi lming something secret, which he can hopefully share with everyone very soon. Can we make a plea here – it’s very hard for Wayne to keep his mouth shut, so if you see him on a night out, please do not ask him!

A brand new show is coming to the Wales Millennium Centre this March – The Beauty Parade, the story of the unsung female spy heroes of the war. We caught up with the writer/director Kaite O’Reilly for an interview about what to expect. And what you can expect is truly wonderful.

Food wise recently, we revisited

The Ivy, Nicki at CPS Homes kindly gifted Wayne a voucher for his birthday – it really is a stunning restaurant and was as busy as ever. Also we were treated to a three-course meal at Pitch on Mill Lane, who served up delicious food from Porc Wales, which showcases Welsh pig farmers and producers. There was even bacon in the chocolate brownie, which sounds weird but tasted gorgeous. Think salted caramel but with a big porky kick!

We recently hosted The Eros Ball in aid of City Hospice at Sophia Gardens and put together by VIP Hire. It was a wonderful fundraising event and featured music from James Williams, as well as dance from Pzazz Productions and Men Of Desire. We’re off for a nap before we resume our Cardiff adventures and report back to you in three weeks’ time.

To keep up to date with the Radio Cardiff DJs Wyburn & Wayne follow them on Facebook, Twitter @WyburnWayne and Instagram @wyburnandwayne

This month, we caught up with Jak Bjornstrom, the head interior designer at Haus in Cardiff. We all know that they’ve been sourcing homes for fi lm production companies for several years, but we thought it’d be good to fi nd out what else Haus do for their clients.

Jak, let’s start with the basics. How did Haus birth into existence? Well, Chris and I [co-owner] were running other successful businesses including a housekeeping company based in Cardiff and found we were being asked for recommendations on who was best to help sell their home, or the best way to design a home for its sale. We were passing a lot of the work to other companies but they were letting us down, so we thought, let’s just help these people directly. Then Haus was born!

Tell us about your background Jak. I graduated from Cardiff Met University after completing my degree in Contemporary Textiles and Design and at that point, we already had a company that I could join on a full time basis but really wanted to create something new and something that would let me work in the area I’d trained in. I used the company as a springboard to create an interior design company that would eventually become a part of Haus. We’ve staged for large retailers, banks and restaurants across the UK, as well as for some of the biggest names in Hollywood. What sets Haus apart from everyone else out there? There must be some fi erce competition in your arena. Surprisingly, most estate agents don’t have a home staging team on staff. Some outsource the work but because there’s little vested interest, it’s mostly a little half-hearted. My team don’t think like traditional estate agents. They do what it takes to maximise the potential of every property we’re looking after. This is whether it’s being sold or being put on Airbnb.

Airbnb is big in Cardiff at the moment. What can Haus offer an Airbnb owner? We developed a service that’s truly unique. I’m usually the first in the door and assessing if anything needs to be done before the property can be photographed. Sometimes it’s straightening a photo frame, sometimes it’s buying everything from the TV to the cutlery. Once my design team are done, it’s professionally photographed, uploaded to our booking platform and dispersed to Airbnb, booking.com, Expedia, Agora, and a lot more. Our guest team take over from there and deal with each guest who books, to help create a fantastic experience. A traditional landlord looking to dip their toe into Airbnb may not realise the logistics of running a mini hotel and end up thinking twice. With us, they have another option.

Tell us about the design aspect of your service All of our Airbnb properties, and the properties being sold, get our design team’s input, whether there’s a budget in place or not. We make the property the best it can be to get the biggest return for our clients.

Get in touch to learn more about what Jak and the Haus team do and how they help property owners get more for their money. ■

Haus,16 Crwys Road, Cardiff CF24 4NJ; 029 2010 0742; begin@ThisIs.Haus; www.agency.haus