Following its Edinburgh Fringe season, Grit, Glitter & Gaslight – The Sarah McGuinness Story returns to London for 4 weeks only at Blacks, Soho, from 6 November to 6 December 2026. Presented by Dangerbag Productions, the critically acclaimed cabaret combines live music, storytelling and song in an extraordinary true story of identity, family and reinvention.
Performed in the intimate, immersive setting of the iconic Blacks Club, Soho, this is an unforgettable chance to see behind the mysterious black door on Dean Street – following extensive refurbishment which has returned it to its full Georgian glory and charm – and enjoy a night of song and storytelling in one of Soho’s most exclusive buildings.
Award-winning performer and songwriter Sarah McGuinness invites audiences into a powerful, darkly funny cabaret that blurs the line between memoir, concert and confession. From her childhood on the Irish border in Derry to the intoxicating highs of international success, she reflects on the people, places and pivotal choices that shaped her, and the parts of herself she left behind along the way.
Featuring classics by David Bowie, Kate Bush, Kurt Weill, Stephen Sondheim and Kander & Ebb from Cabaret, alongside McGuinness’s own original songs, this intimate performance weaves memory and music into an evening that is as entertaining as it is emotionally revealing.
Sarah McGuinness began her musical career in Derry, Northern Ireland, singing harmonies with her family on Sunday drives around County Donegal. Inspired by Motown, Bowie, Bolan, the Velvet Underground and Iggy Pop, she was composing songs by the age of 11.
Moving to London at 18, she studied English and Drama and worked with Grammy Award winner Ben Bartlett during her student years. After graduating, she formed a band and began performing in London’s bars and clubs, while writing theme songs for films including Jake West’s Whacked and Paul Hills’s Secrets, and for comedian Eddie Izzard. Her first single, “Mandy Says”, was produced by fellow Derry musician John O’Neill of The Undertones and That Petrol Emotion, and released in 1994.
Her anthem “Mama Can You See Me Now” featured in her Emmy-nominated documentary Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story and was remixed by William Orbit and Mickey Petralia. McGuinness has collaborated with Izzard as a director and designer for more than 20 years.
She also wrote and recorded the soundtrack to the BAFTA-shortlisted film Noma: Forgiving Apartheid, featuring the Soweto Gospel Choir. Her debut album, Unbroken, released in 2018, brought together songs developed over many years, with guests including producer Ed Buller and bandleader Guy Barker.
Blacks, 67 Dean Street, Soho, London, W1D 4QH
Book tickets at SarahMcGuinness.com
