Something distinctly gay is happening at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. That in itself may not qualify as news, yet you have not lived until you’ve seen tenor Greg Fedderly performing as Don Basilio in Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro. Fastidiously prancing about, this Basilio looks like an 18th-century drag queen’s wet dream.
She sports a purple, crushed velvet frock over purple, crushed velvet britches that harmonize to cross-dressing perfection with her electric pink leggings, which show from her buckle heels to her knees. Basilio, of course, is a gossipy musician; the favorite target of his wagging tongue is Cherubino, a boy character sung by a girl mezzo-soprano. In this case, Basilio walks the walk, talks the talk and sashays the sashay such that you have no doubt regarding his orientation.
But is Greg Fedderly the human being, as opposed to Don Basilio the character, on our side of the gene pool? We’re happy not to have to crush your hopes like that purple velvet; Greg Fedderly has appeared in a For the Boys special with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles. He is, furthermore, the proud owner of Off Vine, at 6263 Leland Way, Hollywood, a restaurant serving California Cuisine in a classic arts and crafts setting.
