Foxy De-Rossi is hanging up the feather boa, at least for the foreseeable future.
One of the most recognized drag queen personas in B.C., Foxy (the on-stage character created and portrayed by Prince George's Travis Shaw) has for many years been an activist and advocate for equality rights and public understanding on the topic of gender and sexuality differences. She has also been flamboyantly entertaining, doing theatrical routines to popular songs. Costumes are her primary tool.
Foxy, however, is tired of the celebrity spotlight and Shaw, on the reality side of the act, is for the second time enduring the effects of a brain tumor. He needs to focus on treatments and recovery, as he did the first time he survived a similar cancer scare three years ago.
None of that could keep Foxy off the Canada Day In the Park stage. For the first time, she will be one of the mainstage entertainment acts, showing one more side of the cultural diversity that event has always championed. She will be doing a lip-synch costume performance to a song by RuPaul and another by Madonna.
"There will be a couple of costume surprises. Some of my fans will remember a Canada Day dress I was once filmed in, and I have worked really hard to fit into that same Canada Day dress, but there's much more," Foxy said.
As Shaw, there is another side to his motivation to perform at Canada Day In the Park.
"Truthfully, my little cousins always perform with one of the cultural groups, they are all into dancing and being on stage. They have grown up knowing what I do, they've seen the costumes in the closet and the pictures in the paper and magazines, but they have never seen me in action. This way they can see it all done, and who doesn't love Canada Day? It's perfect."
Foxy will also be one of the featured entertainers at the Vancouver Pride festivities on the August long weekend, but after that, it will be a long time, if ever, that audiences see the character in full performance array. Shaw said Foxy isn't being killed off, but full concert appearances just aren't on the agenda.
"I think I want a private life," Shaw said. "I'm thinking about maybe settling down. It's hard to do that when you're maintaining a profile that's really up there. And I want to stop while I'm still good at it. I already have half my stuff in storage, I'm so excited."
Not so exciting is the trip back to Vancouver for the familiar klatch of doctors, nurses, medical imaging professionals, all the healthcare specialists Shaw must now become reacquainted with.
"This tumor is growing at the base of my skull," he said. "I'm not too worried. I am excited for this show."
