From the Muse of industry legends – GRIT, GLITTER & GASLIGHT – THE SARAH MCGUINNESS STORY, A CABARET MUSICAL comes to London
Following a critically acclaimed run at the Etcetera Theatre in 2024, The Sarah McGuinness Story – Grit Glitter and Gaslight…A Cabaret Musical, returns to the stage by popular demand, opening at Circle and Star Theatre, Hampstead, on Tuesday 3 March for a limited three-week run.
Emmy nominated, Sarah McGuinness transformed her behind-the-scenes life with the stars into a powerful and poignant one-woman musical cabaret, first performed at Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2024 before transferring to London.
The Sarah McGuinness Story sees this feisty doyenne to the stars strip back the shrouds of celebrity mystery, taking audiences on a jukebox journey through her life in showbusiness, from her childhood on the Irish border in Derry, through a complex relationship with her roots and family dysfunction, to the heights of international success as her life becomes entwined with entertainment icons.
Blending live performance, storytelling and song, the renowned documentary maker and musician turns the lens on herself, delving into long-forgotten memories that are traumatic and hilarious in equal measure.
Set to an epic soundtrack featuring music by David Bowie, Kate Bush, Kurt Weill, Sondheim and Kander & Ebb’s Cabaret, alongside her own original work, this poignant and powerful cabaret tells the extraordinary story of a life lived centre stage.
Tickets are on sale now
Sarah McGuinness comments:
“After my mother’s recent passing, an unexpected remark from my uncle disrupted everything I thought I knew about my past. It triggered doubt, unease, and questions I could no longer ignore – questions that led me back through memory, silence, and the stories I had been told to survive.
I have spent my career helping others find their voices and tell their stories, yet I had never told my own.
For the first time, I found the courage to do so – live, in front of an audience!”
As Sarah draws a line in the sand against past oppressors, audiences are invited to join a rallying cry for a better world, while gaining an intimate and intriguing glimpse into life among A-list celebrities and the unexpected bonds forged with Hollywood legends.
About Sarah McGuiness
Sarah McGuinness began her musical career in Derry, Northern Ireland, where she grew up singing harmonies of choral classics with her family, and she was composing songs at 11.
Moving to London at 18, McGuinness studied English and Drama, working with Grammy award winner Ben Bartlett (Walking With Dinosaurs) during her student years.
When Sarah graduated she formed a band and began gigging in London’s clubs as well as writing soundtrack music, notably for the films Whacked by horror director Jake West and Secrets by Paul Hills as well as the famously grand theatrical opening sequences for comedian Eddie Izzard’s live shows. She was inspired by the likes of Bowie, Bolan, Velvets and Iggy, always felt moved by the soulful tones of Motown while also admiring the aesthetics of The Avengers, The Prisoner and the cinematic scores of Barry, Hermann and Schifrin.
Her first single release,‘Mandy Says’, was produced by fellow Derry musician John O’Neill (The Undertones and That Petrol Emotion) and was roundly applauded upon its release in 1994.
Over 20 years and numerous writing, directorial and design credits later, there are still traces of her classical sensibilities in the detailed and multi-layered vocal compositions. McGuinness has a penchant for the big orchestral atmospheric sweep of a Bond theme, a clash between the Eurythmics and Portishead, set to a Barry score.
Her most palpable hit, the anthem ‘Mama Can You See Me Now’, released in 2010, provided the soundtrack to her 2010 Emmy-nominated documentary, ‘Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story’ – with whom she has collaborated as director and designer for over 20 years. The song has since warranted stunning remixes by legendary producers, William Orbit and Mickey Petralia. Following the success of ‘Believe’ in 2015 she wrote and recorded the soundtrack to the BAFTA shortlisted film ‘Noma: Forgiving Apartheid’ featuring the Soweto Gospel Choir from South Africa.
In 2018, together with some illustrious guests, namely producer Ed Buller and composer/ consummate horn player Guy Barker (responsible for those unforgettable lines on Wham’s first hit album), she released her long-awaited debut album, ‘Unbroken’. ‘Unbroken’ has been carefully curated by McGuinness for years. While she was honing her craft through film and stage work she was creating a catalogue of inspiring, uplifting and exciting songs.
‘Unbroken’ plays host to the creative spirit, of John Barry, Lalo Schifrin and Scott Walker, it showcases a passionate artist with a tireless devotion to the art of song.
Recorded at Dean Street Studios, (once owned by legendary Bolan and Bowie producer, Tony Visconti) Unbroken finds McGuinness in a lush soundscape of strings and brass, with the mighty Guy Barker Orchestra behind her, Sarah belts her way through an album’s worth of self-penned torch songs.
The production is high end but the songs are written to be stark naked in their emotional honesty and the atmosphere of the album as a whole, can be thrilling. The vocals are multi-tracked and to the fore, the harmonies and vocal arrangements are as smart and theatrical as vintage Abba.
McGuinness, stepped out from the shadows of her writer, director and designer self with the release of Unbroken and in doing so she wanted to spark the creative soul in all of us and inspire anyone.
