Top things to do in Cardiff over Easter

Every Monday I run through the best things to see and do in Cardiff for the rest of the week. This week's show was going to be a bumper-edition, with cultural highlights for the next three weeks over Easter holidays. However, when I got to the studio everything was locked; it seems most of Cardiff University has already gone on holiday. Not to be deterred, here's my top three recommendations in blog form.


A Doll's House @ Sherman Cymru 3-6 April
Hot off the success of As You Like It at the New Theatre, Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Wales' premier drama production company, return to Cardiff with a new production of Ibsen's 1879 classic A Doll's House. Radical when it was realised, and still powerful today, A Doll's House tells the story of Nora, a housewife with an apparently idyllic life, who slowly begins to crave independence and self-determination. Clwyd have built a reputation for the quality of their production, and this version of A Doll's House, directed by Emma Lucia, has already won rave reviews from audiences at Clwyd Theatr in Mold. I can't wait to see it on Wednesday!

Art Car Bootique @ Chapter Arts Centre 15 April 
Think you know car bootsales? Think again! Chapter Arts Centre have teamed up with Something Creatives to bring you the bootsale as you've never seen it before, featuring 50 pitches of art, performances, dealers and curated projects, plus plenty of British food and ales. And if you think you're a master-baker, why not enter the Bootique British Bake-off and put your skills to the test? The event was a huge hit last year, as you can see in the video.

South Pacific @ Wales Millennium Centre 17-28 April
My number one event not to miss this Easter. This brand new production of South Pacific, which started at the Lincoln Centre in New York in 2008, has won rave reviews and a whole bunch of Tony Awards. Written in 1949 by Rogers and Hammerstein, South Pacific is undoubtedly one of the best loved musicals of all time. So many of its songs have become hits, including Some Enchanted Evening, Younger Than Springtime, There is Nothing Like a Dame, I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out Of My Hair, and many more. The story combines comedy and romance with a serious message about racial prejudice. The UK tour cast is led by West End stars Samantha Womack and Jason Howard and sees Loretta Ables Sayre returning to the part of Bloody Mary for which she was Tony-nominated. Not to be missed.