Producers Cancel ‘Sunday in the Park With George’ After Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey Exits
The planned 2027 production initially promised to soldier on despite losing its two marquee stars.
Two weeks after actress Jonathan Bailey stepped away from the West End revival of Sunday in the Park With George, the production has been canceled altogether. The show's lead, Ariana Grande, announced in early August that she needed a break from her public engagements following the conclusion of her Eternal Sunshine tour on September 1.
Bailey, who starred alongside Grande in the Wicked films, also announced his departure on September 1, citing his deep friendship with Grande. He expressed his support for her and decided to withdraw from the project, stating it was a passion project for him and he was fortunate to have shared in its journey with the team. Despite the show's initial commitment to proceed, with tickets set to go on sale in May, the production has now been pulled.
Empire Street Productions, the show's producers, confirmed to Variety that the 2027 Barbican Centre production will not go ahead as planned. Instead, they intend to retain the rights for a potential revival in 2028, with further details to be announced. The roles of Dot and Marie, originally played by Bernadette Peters in the 1984 Broadway run, were meant to be performed by Grande.
Bailey was set to play Seurat, a role previously taken by Mandy Patinkin on Broadway and then Jake Gyllenhaal in a 2017 Broadway revival. Initially, the producers had planned to hold auditions this summer to find replacements, but these plans have been abandoned.
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