Feinstein was excited at the prospect of working on a Broadway show but soon became frustrated by the "clash of egos" that he encountered among those involved and by what he saw as a lack of authenticity in various musical selections and arrangements. Although Feinstein was not totally satisfied with the final version, the show, which premiered on Broadway in 1983, was a success.

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Feinstein has described his six years with Gershwin as "having lived a dream." The experience was important to him professionally because he learned a great deal about the music and musicians of the Gershwins' era and also, through Gershwin, became acquainted with people in the entertainment industry. In addition, he developed a sincere friendship with Gershwin, whom he admired for his "gentleness of spirit" as well as his talent and knowledge.

Under the terms of Gershwin's will, Feinstein was made one of his literary executors, and so, after Gershwin's death in 1983, he remained at work on various projects, including a book of previously unpublished songs. To Feinstein's disappointment, this work came to a halt when the lyricist's widow, Leonore Gershwin, contested the will. Eventually they were able to come to terms, allowing Feinstein to continue the project.

In the meantime, Feinstein went back to performing in order to earn a living. During the previous six years, his entertaining had been limited to playing and singing at parties given by the Gershwins or their friends.

The contacts that he made there proved valuable. Liza Minnelli became a good friend and called upon him to accompany her when she sang on The Tonight Show. This appearance led to other engagements, both at private parties and in clubs.

Critics praised his performances, citing his "personal intimacy" and "sensual involvement with the music." Gerald Nachman, a critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, called Feinstein "easily the best there is at what he does."

Feinstein's first album, Pure Gershwin (Parnassus Records), was released in 1985. He has since put out nineteen more, including two that received Grammy nominations, Michael & George: Feinstein Sings Gershwin (1998, Concord Jazz) and Romance on Film / Romance on Broadway (2000, Concord Jazz).

Feinstein has performed on a number of television shows including Cybill, Thirtysomething, and Caroline in the City, as well as in the movie Get Bruce (1999, directed by Andrew J. Kuehn), for which he wrote music.

In 1999 he fulfilled a long-held ambition when he opened his own club, Feinstein's, at the Regency Hotel in Manhattan, where he occasionally performs, although much of his time is taken up with concert tours, both in the United States and abroad.

Feinstein's talent has earned him invitations to play for Britain's late Queen Mother and for three American presidents. When he went to the White House during the Clinton administration, he brought a male date.

His appearance at a White House Valentine's gathering in 2006, where he played for a group that included right-wing politicians and new Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, raised eyebrows.

In response to an angry letter in The Advocate denouncing him for entertaining anti-gay politicians, Feinstein responded as follows: "My acceptance of the invitation was with the understanding that I would be bringing my partner of nine years. We were treated in every way as a couple, from both of our names on the invitations to having our photograph taken together with the President and First Lady. We introduced ourselves to other guests (both Repubicans and Democrats) as life partners and were accepted without issue as a couple. . . . The White House belongs to all of us."

Feinstein has been open in acknowledging his homosexuality. He has worked with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), and he wrote a song for the Equality Rocks concert that the HRC sponsored as part of the activities of the Millennium March for gay rights in May 2000. He cited the murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard as a motivation for his participation in the event.

Historically, cabarets and revues have been much more likely to mention or imply same-sex desire than the "legitimate" theater; and same-sex desire has been less frequently condemned in cabarets and revues than in mainstream plays.

Marches on Washington in support of the rights of glbtq people have been a significant part of the modern movement for equality.

The largest glbtq political organization in the United States, the Human Rights Campaign has emerged as the leading national organization representing glbtq concerns.

Self-proclaimed male actress Charles Pierce took an aggressive stance against homophobia, believing that quick wit, a serious attitude, and consummate acting skill could vanquish oppression.

Living the paradoxical life of an openly closeted gay man, songwriter Cole Porter introduced non-normative values and risqué double entendres into what was one of the most pedestrian and hackneyed of cultural forms.

Matthew Shepard led an unremarkable life, but his shocking death transformed him into an icon of the glbtq movement for equality.