In recanting the story of her life and career, at the Cafe Carlyle on Tuesday night, author Candace Bushnell fondly recalled one of her earliest memories of the city that she would later become famous for writing about. Ms. Bushnell moved to Manhattan at 19 (about 1977). Her first boyfriend was the photographer-writer-director Gordon Parks, then about 65, who happened to be a close friend of Gloria Vanderbilt. Thus, at least once, the three of them went together to see Bobby Short at the Carlyle.
Mention of the late Bobby Short, the legendary singer-pianist-entertainer and cultural icon who did more than anyone to put the Carlyle on the map, served to underscore how radical Ms. Bushnell’s performance is. So much so that I’m tempted to describe it in a list format — starting with the notion that this is the first Carlyle show with a headliner who isn’t essentially a performer.
It isn’t all singers at the venerated nightclub; we’ve seen actors (James Naughton, who should come back), and more recently a comedian (Mario Cantone) and even a fashion designer (Isaac Mizrahi) — but all of them sang at least a little. Ms. Bushnell is the first to not come anywhere near a song or even a note.
Some of the other “firsts” for the Carlyle were:
- The first specific discussion of certain particular acts of sexual stimulation and gratification, as well as the relative moisture of the female hoo-ha.
- The first detailed description of a menage à trois. It turns out that Gordon Parks enjoyed other activities with two women, and, alas, the third member of that threesome was not Gloria Vanderbilt.
- The first appearance on the Carlyle stage of two full-sized standard poodles. (Of all these firsts, I’m most hoping that this particular one was not also a last.)
As I said, Ms. Bushnell, clad in a fashionable, shiny leopard print cocktail dress (hey, she’s not up there to not get noticed), doesn’t sing. There wasn’t even a piano on stage. Instead, there was instead a small divan, which allowed her to prop her legs up and give us all a view of her red Manolo Blahniks. (Yes, like The Wizard of Oz, this is all about shoes.)
Take-away: in this highly unusual but also highly entertaining presentation, Ms. Bushnell recounts the elaborate backstory of the sexiest and funniest show in the history of TV. She elaborates on how the central character (Sarah Jessica Parker as “Carrie Bradshaw”) is essentially her own alter ego, and how the three primary friends, “Miranda” (Cynthia Nixon), “Charlotte” (Kristin Davis), and every straight guy’s favorite, “Samantha” (the vivacious Kim Cattrell), are all also based on real people in her life.
Even though not many of us in the crowd have written half a dozen New York Times bestsellers, inspired a classic TV series, and married a star ballerino, she made her story, her ups and her downs, seem remarkably relatable. Here’s hoping Candace Bushnell — who herewith establishes herself as a diva with a difference — delivers a part two, complete with poodles.
Candace Bushnell opened May 10, 2022, at Café Carlyle and runs through May 19. Tickets and information: rosewoodhotels.com
