THERE'S a long tradition of men dressing up as women for entertainment, from the plays of Shakespeare to the Rocky Horror Show. But the true artists - the drag queens - put in a little bit more effort than a rugby club on a night out.

Ceri Dupree, Cardiff's favourite cross-dressing son, brings a lorryload of frocks and a sensational show to Cwmbran next week.

He said: "Most people's idea of a drag act is somebody miming badly to a Dusty Springfield song dressed as a nun, but I'm not like that at all.

"I put the show together with a set amount of characters but I tend to get a bit bored with my line-up and change it around.

"The show never has less than 10 to 16 costume changes - some cost thousands.

"My audiences are right across the board, from eight to 88. I play to family audiences - you can see people thinking, 'I shouldn't have brought the children,' but they love it."

The Ladies I Love, starring Ceri Dupree, comes to the Congress Theatre on Wednesday. Tickets are £10 or £7.50 concessions and the show begins at 7.30pm. Box office 01633 868239.