Producers cancel 2027 Barbican revival of Sunday in the Park With George after Grande and Bailey exit
Producers have scrapped the 2027 London revival of Sunday in the Park With George after its two stars walked away.
Empire Street Productions said the production at the Barbican Centre will no longer proceed as scheduled, according to Billboard. The show had been due to open in summer 2027 with Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey in the lead roles.
That pairing was the selling point. Grande was cast as Dot and Marie, with Bailey as the painter Georges Seurat. Both performers are known to film audiences as stars of the Wicked films, which brought wider attention to the stage project when the casting was confirmed in January, Playbill reported.
The musical itself is by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine. The London staging was planned as a full revival at the Barbican, one of the capital's largest theatre spaces.
Both exits landed on 1 September. Grande said she would take a break from public commitments once her Eternal Sunshine tour wrapped on 1 September, a break that included withdrawing from the revival. Bailey announced the same day that he was stepping back from the production.
The departures left producers with an empty bill. At first, they said the show would go on.
Summer auditions were planned to find replacement leads, with the 2027 run still intact. That position held only briefly. Playbill reported on 14 September that the production had been postponed after the two exits.
A day later, the fuller picture emerged. Empire Street Productions confirmed the 2027 dates were cancelled outright. The company will retain the rights with a view to presenting the production in 2028, but no new dates, venue or cast have been announced.
For fans, this means a longer wait. The 2027 revival is gone. A future version may arrive in 2028, but without confirmed stars or tickets.
It is a short sequence with a clear result. Two lead departures on the same day, a brief recasting plan, then cancellation. London theatregoers hoping to see Grande and Bailey together on stage will have to look elsewhere for now.
