Ariana Grande has withdrawn from Sunday in the Park with George at London’s Barbican Theatre.
Her representative said she plans to step back from public-facing projects after her tour ends on 1 September 2026.
Jonathan Bailey remains attached to play Georges Seurat, with Marianne Elliott directing the summer 2027 production.
Jonathan Bailey will remain with the Barbican production, which is scheduled to open in summer 2027.
Ariana Grande will no longer star alongside Jonathan Bailey in the forthcoming production of Sunday in the Park with George at London’s c.
The singer and actor had been due to play Dot opposite Bailey’s Georges Seurat in the Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine musical. The production will continue as planned in summer 2027, with a replacement for Grande set to be announced at a later date.
Grande’s representative said the star intends to take a break from public-facing projects once her Eternal Sunshine tour concludes in London on 1 September 2026. The decision follows an extended period of press appearances and heightened public scrutiny surrounding the Grammy Award-winning artist. The show’s producers did not disclose a specific reason for her departure but said the decision had been made with their “complete understanding and support”.
The casting had originally promised a reunion between Grande and Bailey following their appearances in Wicked and Wicked: For Good. Their involvement was announced with an Instagram photograph taken in front of Georges Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Inspired by Seurat’s pointillist masterpiece, Sunday in the Park with George explores art, ambition and personal sacrifice through a fictionalised version of the French painter. Its second act moves forward through time to follow the artist’s great-grandson as he navigates the commercial art world.
Bailey remains attached to the production, which will be directed by Tony and Olivier Award winner Marianne Elliott, with design by Tom Scutt. Elliott previously directed Bailey in the acclaimed 2018 revival of Sondheim’s Company.
Tickets were initially due to go on sale in May 2026, but the release did not take place. They are now scheduled to become available in autumn 2026.
Where: Barbican Theatre, Silk Street, Barbican, London, EC2Y 8DS
Contact: www.barbican.org.uk