reFRESH MAGAZINE

Stuart Reardon by Pablo Chester

Rugby celebrity Stuart Reardon certainly looks the part in these brand new shots by Pablo Chester. Styling on the shoot included pieces from Calvin Klein and L'Homme Invisible in Paris and we think Stuart could easily give any gladiator a run for their money!

There are plenty more in the series, we've just picked a selection to whet your appetite. See more of Pablo Chester's work on his website, www.pablochesterphotography.com

A big thank you to Mario de la Barrera for contacting us with the pics! We hope you enjoy...

Coming in 2012....Ottoman Fight Club by Jamie McLeod

Following his hugely successful show, Jack Off Johnny, photo-artist Jamie Mcleod returns to the Dalston Superstore next year with a new show of his portraits of  Turkish Oil Wrestlers, Ottoman Fight Club.

Mcleod’s images were taken over a eight-year period at the  annual Kirkpinar tournament, held in Edirne, Turkey. This is in what was the ancient area of Thrace where Ottoman soldiers prepared for warfare and instilling fear into the hearts of neighbouring Greece and Bulgaria even before the era of Alexander the Great.

Shot in black and white and screen-printed in a panoramic style on a 10-metre ream of canvas, the images have the appearance of stills from a Pasolini movie and are another 'tour de force' from this hugely talented photo artist.

Ottoman Fight Club will be at the Dalston Superstore from January 12 to February 29 2012 - check out more of Jamie McLeod's work on his website, www.jamiemcleod.co.uk

 

 

Underwear exhibition explores connections with gay consumers

A new exhibition at the Snibston Discovery Museum in Leicestershire is including men's underwear and explores the important connection between underwear design, marketing and the gay male consumer.

It depicts the changes in fashionable, practical and sporting underwear from the 18th century to the present day. It also features a section of underwear brands such as Rufskin, Andrew Christian and Ginch Gonch each of whom have focused much of their design and marketing at gay male consumers.

Support & Seduction runs at the Snibston Discovery Museum until 13 May 2012

September offers at the reFRESH Theatre Club

This month we've pulled out all of the stops to bring you our annual September Sale featuring a range of knock-down prices on smash-hit shows.

Acclaimed new musical Betty Blue Eyes closes this month so it's your last chance to enjoy a special offer, plus we have discounts on new musical Backbeat about the early years of The Beatles, a rare offer on Andrew Lloyd-Webber's The Phantom of the Opera, Ruby Wax in her hit new show Losing It at the Duchess Theatre, a special Autumn deal on Elton John's musical version of Billy Elliot, Hustle's Marc Warren in a new adaptation of Cool Hand Luke and a theatre dinner promotion for Ghost the Musical and Planet Hollywood.

For more information and to book please visit the reFRESH Theatre Club at www.westendtheatre.com/refresh

Oliver's in Mysterious Skin...

Mysterious Skin returns to London's Drill Hall next month for three nights only after winning a clutch of awards at the International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival.

In Kansas, Brian gets blackouts and has missing hours in his life. He looks for them with alien abductee Avalyn, who is lonely and looking for her next close encounter! In New York, street hustler Neil loves sex with older men, while his friend Wendy worries. Both boys lives entwine to reveal the shocking truth about the past.

Actor Oliver Walker (pictured) who plays Neil in Peter Darney's production picked up the Best Actor gong at the Dublin Gay Theatre Festival and managed to find time between rehearsals for a quick chat:

What’s the best thing about your job?
Variety. I know that unless I'm in a long term theatre contract, I'll be waking up every morning to something completely different. Routine tends to break me. 

Use five adjectives to describe your personality
Only five? That would be simplifying things, but I'll give it a shot. Complex, flakey, soulful, passionate, unique.

If was King of the World for a day I’d…
Pay 'The Smiths' copious amounts of money to do a one off concert at Brixton Academy. 

What has been your most expensive purchase?
My iMac.. it hurt, but it's a good pain.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
In my beautiful house in Beziers,  writing my own movies as well as prepping for other film projects. 

If I could make out with anybody it would be…
Jet from Gladiators.

 

 

 

 

Mysterious Skin is at The Drill Hall from 18-20 September. Tickets £12. To book call the Box Office on 020 7307 5060 or click here

 

Great summer theatre deals

There are some great offers available via the reFRESH Theatre club during August  with a host of savings on London shows - from discounts on tickets, to free dinner packages and our £5 hotels offer.

Special offers this month include Suranne Jones in the London transfer of Caryl Churchill's play Top Girls; the enormously successful and critically acclaimed production of Great War drama Journey's End returns to the West End; the US production of sensational music and dance show FELA! at Sadler's Wells Theatre; and a star-studded cast of singers come to the Garrick Theatre this Setpember in a tribute to the queens of pop in Respect La Diva.

Also this month, it's your final chance to catch Andrew Lloyd Webber's Love Never Dies, Dominic West in Butley and Trevor Nunn's acclaimed production of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.

To access the theatre club page click here

The Gay Jazz Project by Steven Gallavin

Meet Steven Gallavin, a gay jazz singer who's revisiting some of the most beautiful and biggest vocal jazz standards by breaking the borders between gender, sexuality and sensuality.

Many jazz authors  were homosexual and in some cases their songs were actually written for their male lovers. For example Noël Coward, who wrote Mad about the Boy for his long term partner Graham Payn – a British-South African actor. But although many songs were originally written for men, they have been rarely sung by men.

Gallavin plans to change that by re-establishing the origins of these songs with his own interpretation and he's just released his first single and a music video Mad about the Boy (Radio Edit) with the team of the cabaret-bar “chez Maman” in Brussels.

You order his CD from his website www.gallavin.com or listen to the album free via streaming on Deezer

Bucknall's Travels

In the Dolphin's Wake is the new book from travel writer Harry Bucknall (pictured) and is a thoroughly engaging account of his  travels from Venice to Istanbul.

Travel writing is an art form. It takes a good writer to get the balance right between the personal experiences they encounter on their travels and the colourful and rich descriptions of the surroundings they see. We don't want self indulgence, but instead to be able to feel that we were along for the ride.

Bucknall's equilibrium is perfect and his observations interesting, educating and entertaining to the reader from the heat of the Dodecanese to the bustling streets of Piraeus. 

Highly recommended!

Reviewed by reFRESH Editor-in-Chief David Tickner

In the Dolphin's Wake is published by Bene Factum Publishing priced £7.99 - for more information visit www.bene-factum.co.uk/

Musical Moment: John Galea

Award winning singer-songwriter John Galea will be releasing a new single next month. Do It My Way is self-released and will be available as a download on 15 August priced at 79p.

The 3:14 track builds on the success of his previous hits, Trendsetter and Frontline and is described as a 'mix of gritty electro beats with a goodtime pop feel'.

Galea has been tipped as one of Britain's most promising rising stars and has already working alongside the producers for such globals successes as Britney Spears, the Pussycat Dolls and Jay Sean.

Check out his website for more information, www.johngaleamusic.com

Peter & Pedro

Welcome to the colourful and sometimes alternative world of Peter and Pedro. Two creative individuals who are collaborating together on a body of work that takes Pedro's photography of the underground Queer/Post porn scene in Barcelona and mixes it with Peter's colourful illustrations of people, objects and creatures.

The boys are putting on an art show in Berlin as well as producing a limited edition coffee table style book of their work and they are looking for sponsors to help fund the printing of the book (and the costs linked to the show).

If you can help them, click on the following link and follow the instructions to make a donation- www.kickstarter.com/projects/759069717/peter-and-pedro-postpone-procrastination