Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey fans despair as London musical suffers fresh blow: ‘Devastated!’
The planned London revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday In The Park With George has been scrapped for 2027 after both its headline stars departed the production.
Empire Street Productions confirmed on Monday that the staging at the Barbican will not go ahead as originally intended.
“The planned 2027 production of Sunday in the Park with George at the Barbican will no longer proceed as scheduled,” the company said in a statement.
“Empire Street Productions will retain the rights with a view to presenting the production in 2028. Further details will be announced in due course.”
Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey both withdrew from the planned Sondheim revival
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The decision follows the successive withdrawals of Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey, who had been set to lead the Marianne Elliott-directed show next summer.
The production was first revealed in January, promising Wicked fans the chance to see two of the film franchise’s biggest names share a stage in London.
Ms Grande, who portrayed Glinda, and Mr Bailey, who played Fiyero, in the cinematic adaptation of Wicked and its follow-up Wicked: For Good, were to reunite at the Barbican in Mr Sondheim’s celebrated musical.
Ms Grande had been cast in the dual roles of Dot and Marie, with Mr Bailey lined up to portray the painter Georges Seurat opposite her.
Ariana Grande announced she would be taking a step back from the spotlight following her tour
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PAFans of the musical were quick to voice their disappointment following the announcement.
One Instagram user questioned: “Why does this musical always have problems coming to the UK?”
Another appeared unsurprised by the news, writing simply: “I had a feeling…”
“This is a mess I’m crying…” a third added.
Another fan referenced the previously cancelled London revival, writing: “Devastated. I’m still not over the 2020 cancellation and now this.”
Tickets were initially due to go on sale in May, but producers delayed this until September owing to anticipated extraordinary demand, timing the release to coincide with the conclusion of Grande’s Eternal Sunshine tour.
Ms Grande’s departure came first, with her publicist announcing in August that the singer and actress would be “taking a step back from visibility” once her tour wrapped up.
They cited “endless, ongoing public scrutiny” surrounding her health and physical appearance.
At a concert in Chicago, the singer reassured supporters that the decision was neither impulsive nor reactive, telling them: “Boundaries need to be set, human beings do need a break sometimes.”
Despite her exit, Empire Street Productions maintained at the time that the show would press on as planned.
Mr Bailey then followed suit at the start of September, though he expressed enthusiasm for the project’s future, saying: “I so look forward to seeing what the team, and the two actors who will now take on these roles, will create with it.”
The producers again insisted that work on the production was continuing.
The Wicked co-stars had been set to lead Sunday In The Park With George
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Mr Sondheim and playwright James Lapine originally created the musical, which first appeared off Broadway in 1983 before transferring to Broadway in 1984.
The show draws its inspiration from Georges Seurat’s famous painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, depicting a fictionalised version of the artist wrestling with the tensions between creative obsession and personal relationships.
This is not the first time a London staging has fallen through.
A previous revival featuring Jake Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford was shelved indefinitely in 2021 as a result of the Covid pandemic.
Mr Bailey had a well-established working relationship with the director, having previously appeared alongside Ms Elliott in the West End play Cock and Mr Sondheim’s musical Company.
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