Get Out! GAY Magazine – Issue 523

Hello, Candace. What can fans expect
at your show?
Basically, the story of how I created Sex
in the City. How hard I worked to get
there. Why I invented Carrie Bradshaw.
And what happened to me afterwards.
Along the way, I answer some of fans’
biggest questions, like “Was there a
real Mr. Big? Did I really have three
friends like the ones that were on the
TV show–a Charlotte, a Miranda and a
Samantha?” And of course, in answering
all of that, in a sense, it’s the origin story
of Sex and the City, combined with
pieces of my life story. How I came to
New York and some of the things that
happened to me along the way and how
I got Sex in the City and beyond.
What inspired you to want to do that?
It was actually something that I just
said “Yes” to. And it took off. I met this
man named Mark Johnson. He’s one
of the producers of the show. David
Foster has a one-man show. And Mark
Johnson basically developed it with him
and I happened to meet David Foster
and I met Mark Johnson and he said, “I
think that you two can do a one-woman
show.” It was something that I never
thought about doing, but I just said,
“Well, I’ll give it a try.” So, I wrote a script
and people really liked it and before I
knew it, we had a Broadway director–
Lorin Latarro. We raised money and we
took it to Bucks County Playhouse to
develop it and I did it at the Daryl Roth
Theater off Broadway.
When you go up onstage and do a
show, it’s obviously way different
than being an author. Are you
nervous? Are you excited? What are
you feeling?
I am really excited. I’m not nervous
about doing it. I think if I were really
nervous about doing it, I wouldn’t do it.
If I felt uncomfortable or if it stressed me
out, I wouldn’t do it. I mean, it is stressful
because you have to rehearse a lot and
there’s a lot that goes into the show. A
lot of behind the scenes stuff. But it’s
not something where I feel like “Oh,
my God. I don’t want to do it.” It’s kind
of a side of my personality that I guess
I never explored before when I was
younger. Now I’m in my 60s and this
came along and I said, “Yes, why not? If
not now, when?”
I actually heard that you were trying
to turn it into some kind of TV series.
Is that true?
Well I wrote a book called Is There Still
Sex in the City? That was sold to be a
TV series, but it fell apart, like a lot of
things during the pandemic. I have a
couple of other TV things that I have
been working on, but now there’s a
strike. So, some things are on hold and
we’ll see what happens.
What was it like to be the reason for the
most popular show on the planet?
Honestly, it’s not something that I really
spend any time thinking about. I’m
always working. Usually, I’m writing a
book. I mean right now, I’m not writing a
book because I’m doing the stage show
and hopefully a couple of other things.
Honestly, after the pandemic I just don’t
feel like locking myself away and writing
a book, which is something I’ve done for
years. After the pandemic, I was like, “I
want to go out and see people, I want to
be around people.” But I’m always working
on something new, so I’m usually thinking
about that thing. Not the TV show. The
TV show is great and it has been a great
experience, but I still have to get up and
work every day.