Highlights
- Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey have both exited Sunday in the Park with George
- The London musical’s planned 2027 run has now been canceled
- Producers are hoping to stage the show in 2028
- The Wicked stars were set to reunite on stage at London’s Barbican
Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey were supposed to reunite on the London stage next year, but their departures have now changed the future of the highly anticipated production.
The Wicked co-stars were set to lead a revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George at the Barbican in 2027. After both stars withdrew from the project, producers have canceled the planned run, although they hope to bring it back in 2028.
The musical will no longer open in 2027
Empire Street Productions initially planned to continue with Sunday in the Park with George after Grande announced her departure last month.
Bailey later withdrew from the production in early September, but the company initially indicated that the show would go ahead. That plan has now changed.
The production company confirmed that the 2027 staging will no longer proceed as scheduled. It will retain the rights to the production with the intention of presenting it in 2028, with further details expected later.
Why Grande and Bailey were stepping away
Grande announced her decision to leave the musical as she prepared to take a break from the spotlight following her Eternal Sunshine Tour.
Her publicist previously said the actor and singer would be "taking a step back from visibility" after the tour, following years of intense public attention.
Grande later told fans that the decision was planned well in advance and said that setting boundaries was important because people need a break sometimes.
Bailey announced his own departure earlier this month and expressed support for director Marianne Elliott and the production team.
He said he looked forward to seeing what the team and the two actors eventually taking on the roles would create.
The Wicked stars will have to wait for their stage reunion
Grande and Bailey became closely associated with each other after playing Glinda and Fiyero in Wicked and its upcoming sequel, Wicked: For Good.
Their planned reunion in Sunday in the Park with George had therefore generated considerable interest, particularly because both actors were returning to the stage for the Sondheim production.
The musical was created by Sondheim and playwright James Lapine and originally premiered on Broadway in 1984.
Inspired by Georges Seurat's famous painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, the story follows a fictionalized version of the French artist as he becomes consumed by his work.
For now, fans will have to wait longer to see the production in London. If the planned 2028 revival goes ahead, it could still give Grande and Bailey's former project a second chance — but without the two stars who initially helped make it such a major attraction.
