‘Sunday in the Park With George’ canceled after Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey depart
Two big names are out of Sunday in the Park With George, and the shake-up leaves what happens next very much up in the air.
The 2027 Barbican revival of Sunday in the Park With George had been set with a starry pairing: Ariana Grande as Dot/Marie and Jonathan Bailey as George Seurat, under director Marianne Elliott with designs by Tom Scutt. Announced in January as a centerpiece of the venue’s season, even its ticket on-sale was shifted from May to the fall of 2026 to work around Grande’s Eternal Sunshine tour.
Why it fell apart
Grande exited in August, with her team saying she planned to step back from public-facing work after the tour amid intense scrutiny, according to Variety. At first, producers aimed to keep the summer 2027 opening by recasting her roles while Bailey remained attached. Then Bailey withdrew in September, removing the “Wicked ” film co-stars hook that had defined the production’s marketing.
“The planned 2027 production of Sunday in the Park with George at the Barbican will no longer proceed as scheduled.”
That statement, from a representative for producers Empire Street Productions to Variety, confirmed the cancellation of the 2027 run after both headline departures.
- January 2024 — Project announced for the Barbican in 2027
- Spring 2026 — Ticket on-sale moved to autumn 2026 to accommodate Grande’s tour
- August 2026 — Grande withdraws, per Variety
- September 2026 — Bailey exits
- Now — 2027 run canceled; producers target 2028
What’s next
Empire Street Productions will retain the rights and is aiming to present the production in 2028, with specifics still to come. The planned revival is of the Stephen Sondheim–James Lapine musical that premiered on Broadway in 1984 with Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters and draws its world from Georges Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.
No new casting, dates, or venue details have been announced for 2028.