Jonathan Bailey has withdrawn from the London production of Sunday in the Park WIth George, following Ariana Grande’s previous departure.
“Ari is one of my dearest friends, and my support for her is unwavering. Marianne is extraordinary and one of my longest collaborators and friends,” Bailey said in a statement on social media. “After much consideration, I have decided to also step back from ‘Sunday in the Park with George.’”
“This brilliant, introspective musical has been a real passion project for me, and I feel incredibly lucky to have shared in its journey with this team. Among many things, the story explores the deep connection between George and Dot, a beautiful, devoted pairing, and I so look forward to seeing what the team, and the two actors who will now take on these roles, will create with it,” he continued. “I wish the very best to the entire company. I will be cheering them on as they continue with this production.”
Bailey was set to play the lead role in the production at the Barbican in summer 2027. The production, which was initially announced to be directed by Marianne Elliott, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether it will be moving forward with that date. A representative for Elliott also did not respond to request for comment.
However in a statement the production, led by producers Empire Street Productions, said, “Casting discussions are actively under way, and the creative team is reshaping the production around a new company while preserving the ambition and artistic integrity of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s musical.”
“Further casting and production details will be announced in due course,” the statement continued.
Grande confirmed her decision not to star in the stage show, as Dot, opposite Bailey, her co-star in Wicked, in August as part of her larger decision to “step back from visibility” after her tour ends and amid a large degree of scrutiny over her health.
“Following this evening’s announcement from Ariana Grande’s team, we can confirm that she has decided to step back from Sunday in the Park With George,” Empire Street Productions shared in a statement at the time. “We know this cannot have been an easy decision, and she makes it with our complete understanding and support. The production will open at the Barbican in summer 2027 as planned, and casting will be announced in due course.”
The ticket on-sale dates for Sunday in the Park With George have already been pushed back twice, having originally been scheduled for May 2026, then delayed to summer 2026, so that tickets could be released once Grande’s The Eternal Sunshine Tour finished. Tickets have yet to go on sale.
The musical, which premiered in 1984, features music and lyrics by Sondheim and a book by Lapine and sees a fictionalized version of French painter Georges Seurat as he creates, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, with Dot, his muse and lover, posing for the painting. The last major revival of the musical occurred on Broadway in 2017, with Jake Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford. The production was announced to transfer to London, but never crossed the pond due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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