Jonathan Bailey and Ariana Grande have both withdrawn from the upcoming Barbican production of Stephen Sondheim's 'Sunday in the Park with George'. The prestige musical will still go ahead, but without either of its originally advertised leads.
Grande withdraws after world tour
Ariana Grande has pulled out of the production and all other public appearances following the conclusion of her current world tour. This development partly explains why the previously announced May onsale date for tickets never materialised.
Jonathan Bailey was initially expected to remain in the lead role, with further casting to be announced. At that stage, the production was still expected to be a hot ticket, though perhaps not as crazily sought-after as it would have been with both stars attached.
Bailey follows suit
In a further update, Jonathan Bailey has also quit the show. His departure followed a vague Instagram post in which he affirmed his love for both Ariana Grande and the show's director, Marianne Elliott.
This leaves a production that was once hinged on its superstar 'Wicked' leads now having no superstar 'Wicked' leads. Fortunately, no tickets had been sold and dates had only been vaguely set, leaving plenty of time to pull the production back together with new casting.
History of the production
Hardcore musical theatre fans may recall that in 2020, a transfer of the Jake Gyllenhaal-starring Broadway revival of Sondheim's 1984 classic was due to arrive in London. That production was scuppered by the pandemic.
'Sunday in the Park with George' is a typically virtuosic work by the late composer, inspired by pointillist painter Georges Seurat's painting 'A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte'. The musical follows a fictionalised version of the artist and, years later, his cynical great-grandson.
What happens next
Had the Gyllenhaal version not been halted by the pandemic, it is unlikely that 'Sunday in the Park with George' would have returned so soon. With the coast now clear, the production was to reunite 'Wicked' stars Bailey and Grande under the direction of Marianne Elliott, with design by Tom Scutt, running at the Barbican next summer.
Elliott previously directed Bailey in a highly praised production of Sondheim's 'Company' in 2018. While Bailey's stage CV is longer than Grande's, she did perform in a couple of shows in the US before her pop career. Her stage debut as a massive star was anticipated with excitement.
The show is now due to go on sale in the autumn. 'Sunday in the Park with George' will run at the Barbican Centre in summer 2027. Further casting is to be announced.
