Ariana Grande has pulled out of the forthcoming London production of Sunday in the Park With George, and the show is going ahead without her.

Producers Empire Street Productions confirmed the decision on 3 August 2026, in a statement also posted to the production's official X/Twitter account. Grande "decided to step back" from the Sondheim and Lapine musical, a move the producers said they made with "complete understanding and support" (Deadline).

The Barbican, the venue hosting the run, independently confirmed Grande's departure on its official website, which also states the production will be staged in summer 2027 as originally planned.

Grande, 33, announced over the weekend that she would step back from public visibility after her Eternal Sunshine tour wraps on 1 September, citing ongoing public scrutiny (People; BBC News). In her statement, she described the tour as a "beautiful experience" (Deadline).

Grande and Jonathan Bailey — her co-star from Wicked — were set to reunite for the production, directed by Marianne Elliott. Bailey remains attached to the show (Deadline). Casting for Grande's role will be announced in due course.

Sunday in the Park With George, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Lapine, is one of the most admired works in the musical-theatre canon — a fictional meditation on the French painter Georges Seurat and the cost of making art. A London staging at the Barbican carries weight for theatre audiences, and the attachment of a pop star of Grande's profile had pushed the production firmly into the mainstream spotlight.

Tickets will go on sale in autumn 2026 — domestic to the United Kingdom, sold only through the official Barbican website (Barbican). Deadline had reported in mid-July that the production delayed its ticket sales until the autumn (Deadline, 15 July 2026).

For fans, the practical upshot is straightforward: the show opens in summer 2027, with a new co-lead yet to be named alongside Bailey. Grande's last public appearance before her break will be the final Eternal Sunshine date on 1 September.