Grit, Glitter & Gaslight: The Sarah McGuinness Story at Circle and Star Theatre 3 – 21 March 2026
Grit, Glitter & Gaslight: The Sarah McGuinness Story‘relentlessly creative, never scared to tell the whole raw truth, it is beautiful to see but …’ ★★ ½
A shot of Cointreau in hand, the audience of ‘Grit, Glitter & Gaslight’ is transported into Sarah McGuinness’s world, as she fights to find her voice and strides in her glittery dress. A rather fascinating story, but seemingly in need of a narrative reshaping.
The story starts as Sarah moves back to Ireland as a child, making it impossible for her to fit in because of her English accent. She goes on to tell stories of her culture shock, her life in Derry, the ‘no house, no vote’ policy and the civil rights movement as well as the daily rising violence of that time. A violence that even children were part of, as, whilst growing up, Sarah is consistently harassed. She describes well the feeling of being a stranger at home that so many of us can relate with.
A long stream of anecdotes from her life follows. She has done it all. Moved back to London, taken shows to Edinburgh, opened a theatre, opened a club in Soho, made documentaries, worked with numerous famous people and of course kept singing and composing.
Sarah McGuinness’s life is extraordinary, no one can deny it. She emanates a tremendously powerful energy, she is relentlessly creative and is never scared to tell the whole raw truth: it is beautiful to see.
Unfortunately, the storytelling lacks shape and originality. Many anecdotes aren’t developed and feel generic: shaking David Bowie’s hand, being stuck in a party full of famous people where you don’t belong, her car accident. Even her first love and best friend are characters that appear and immediately disappear, quickly looked over, making us wonder why she even mentioned them. The choices of mixing her songs – which are the most interesting part of the show – with famous hits like ‘Life on Mars’ by Bowie, ‘Skyfall’ by Adele, or even ‘Every Breath You Take’ by The Police feels out of place and gratuitous. Her ardent admiration for Bowie turns redundant: one can easily imagine how one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century has impacted artists all over the world. There is little physicality or character embodiment: Sarah is simply speaking to the audience and occasionally breaking into song, or cabaret-like interludes, which were very enjoyable and very glittery – perhaps a shame that there isn’t more of them. The set is barely used: her messy and eventful life doesn’t seem to be reflected through her journey onstage. The props remain where they are, the piano stays untouched, and while she speaks of playing the violin or the guitar, she never actually picks up an instrument.
After an hour of what feels like friendly chit-chat in a pub, she finally tells us something life changing – she sings her first Irish song, acapella, and suddenly realises what she wanted all along was to be reunited with her Irish heritage when it had for so long been associated with harassment and not belonging. A beautiful moment that currently feels drowned in a large trail of thoughts.
While there was a lot of cultural and generational references that I admit were personally lost on me but that the audience seemed to enjoy, the show is too long (2 hours) for its content. The material is there, and Sarah proves to be an interesting multiskilled performer with a strong voice and stories to tell. Her interactions with the audience are always genuine and captivating. But unfortunately, at the moment, this show feels like a retelling of Sarah’s memoirs rather than a theatrical or cabaret performance.
BOX OFFICE https://www.tickettailor.com/events/circleandstar/2034376
