Grit, glitterand gaslight – the sarah mcguinness story
It’s a brave woman who presents an intensely personal one-woman cabaret show in the intimate
surroundings of the Circle and Star in north London. But it soon becomes apparent that Sarah
McGuinness is a hardy heroine and she isn’t about to let a rather muted Sunday afternoon audience
knock her ‘show must go on’ attitude.
Her character is such that she soon manages to get the crowd moderately warmed up as she tells the
tale of how she was born in London and relocated to Derry with her family at an early age. There, she
was regarded as an English girl and was viciously bullied, but when she returned to London to study as a
young adult, she was greeted as ‘Paddy’. Along the way, she worked hard at school and was an avid
reader, fuelling her desire to leave Derry and lead a more glamorous life.
Sarah sings a number of songs by her heroes, such as Kate Bush’s Babooshka and David Bowie’s Life On
Mars. She’s also a fan of the big, soaring ballads found in James Bond movies and she even describes an
encounter when she met Sean Connery – he was predictably charming and complimented her singing
performance that he’d just witnessed.
She frequently mentions an unnamed successful partner who introduced her to the showbiz A-list, but
she found it to be a hostile world where she was looked down on. She felt ostracised and describes the
depression that often gripped her.
Sarah, who is also a writer, director and composer, is clearly a born performer but also a rather fragile
soul who has been knocked about by the world of entertainment. She frequently narrates her anecdotes
with a cynical chuckle – she clearly loves the industry but is also mindful of how brutal it can be.
She talks a lot about struggling with her identity, and her need to constantly prove herself is palpable.
But her honesty infuses her performance with a raw, poignant quality which is distinctive and very
powerful. She presents herself as someone who is now more at peace with her life and career, but
telling her life story with such sincerity and vulnerability, it’s clear that the approval still matters. And,
fortunately, from this reserved yet receptive Hampstead audience, she gets the approval she seeks.
