'Sunday in the Park with George' London revival cancelled

Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey were originally announced to lead the production, which will no longer take place after both stars withdrew.

Summary

• The 2027 London revival of Sunday in the Park With George at the Barbican has been canceled
• Stars Jonathan Bailey and Ariana Grande both withdrew from the production earlier this year
• The production company still plans to revive the show in 2028

The planned 2027 London revival of Sunday in the Park with George, originally set to star Wicked's Jonathan Bailey and Ariana Grande at the Barbican, has been cancelled following both actors' withdrawals from the production.

Grande announced her departure on 2 August, and Bailey withdrew on 1 September in support of her.

On 14 September, Empire Street Productions told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement that the show “will no longer proceed as scheduled.” The production company still retains the rights to the show and, according to THR, plans to mount it in 2028 instead, but no details have been revealed.

Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Pulitzer Prize–winning musical was inspired by Georges Seurat's painter A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. The musical takes place in two different time periods, first focusing on a fictionalised Seurat as he creates his masterpiece, and then on his great-grandson as he struggles with creative burnout 100 years later.

Marianne Elliott, who previously collaborated with Bailey on Cock and Company, was set to direct.

Photo credit: Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey. (Photos by Helen Murray and Jason Hetherington)