Candace Bushnell True Tales of Sex Success and Sex and The City – London Palladium

Candace Bushnell now 65yrs old, the creator, entrepreneurial business woman and writer of the infamous Sex in the City books has come to the London Palladium to tell all, the real truth!

She sets the scene in pink, from the apartment her retreat to her garnitures ‘shoes’ and the mini bar where she regularly sips on ‘cosmos’ cosmopolitan cocktails creating a true feel of Sex and the City life. Familiar names Mr Big, Carrie, Sam, Miranda, Charlotte all feature as she exposes the real truth behind the storylines with an audience participation game called ‘Reel or not Reel’.

Candace explains why she chose the pseudonym Carrie Bradshaw, why she wrote her books about her single friends and their lives in New York; and what was happening at the time when the HBO series took off on the television screen. She is candid with the audience about her own relationships and the highs and very lows and feelings of desperation and how her life has shaped up from the 70’s through to the present day.

The theatre is full, mainly women and it is evident they are Sex and the City super fans wanting to know all there is to tell  ‘the gossip’ and who is the real Candace Bushnell compared to the women she created in the book. Well, she is Carrie Bradshaw to a point however Candace is a woman striving to succeed in business in a mail dominated environment, she hangs out with men and women to enable and progress her career in writing with an aim to change women’s lives. She shares many of her life experiences and she feels she has succeeded when it comes to business, love and sex and being OK with being single.

Sex and The City is a time piece and there still appears to be an appetite for it amongst all age ranges. This one woman show offers everything anyone would possibly want to hear about, love sex marriage as well as the breakups and the legitimising of a life full of experiences. She is in her words a feminist and her friendships and now ageing life is at the core of this show and the message that there is still a life to be had. Candace hopes to achieve one day the Pulitzer Prize, and she is right where she wants to be. Quoting lines from the book “I don’t want to be with Mr Big,” “I want to be Big.” Secures a hit with the audience; now on stage in the London West End, you could say she has. 

This show offers laughs and reflection and is in fact quite inspirational. Knowing the story plot lines in advance would be beneficial to share the inclusivity of the jokes and quotes but she provides a very good overview and a deep insight into her life as Candace Bushnell a vibrant, independent successful business woman who can engage an audience and talk about all things, herself, life experiences and of course Sex and the City life. 

Reviewer: Michelle Knight

Reviewed: 7^th February 2024 

North West End UK Rating: