Jonathan Bailey Exits West End Revival of 'Sunday in the Park with George'

Jonathan Bailey has withdrawn from the West End revival of Sunday in the Park With George, one month after Ariana Grande bowed out of the production. Bailey announced the decision Tuesday in a statement posted to his Instagram Story, writing, "Ari is one of my dearest friends, and my support for her is unwavering. After much consideration, I have decided to also step back from Sunday in the Park with George."

Bailey was set to play painter George Seurat opposite Grande as Dot in the Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine musical, which is scheduled to run at the Barbican Theatre in summer 2027. The casting had been framed as a reunion for the two stars of the Wicked films, who had also teased the project with a photo in front of Georges Seurat's painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. According to Variety, the London show was meant to be a chance for the pair to reunite live on stage.

In his statement, Bailey described the musical as "a real passion project" and praised the creative team, including director Marianne Elliott, whom he called "extraordinary and one of my longest collaborators and friends." He added, "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."

Grande's departure was announced in early August as part of a broader step back from public-facing work following the conclusion of her Eternal Sunshine Tour. Her representative told People that she would be "taking a step back from visibility" and planned to take "a much-deserved break" after facing ongoing public scrutiny over her health. At the time, producers Empire Street Productions expressed support for Grande and confirmed the musical would still open as planned.

Following Bailey's announcement, the production issued a statement saying, "Following Ariana Grande's withdrawal, Jonathan Bailey has informed the producers that he has also decided to step back from Sunday In The Park With George. Work on the production continues. 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 revival has faced delays before losing both leads. Ticket on-sale dates were pushed back twice, first from May 2026 to summer 2026, so that tickets could be released after Grande's tour finished, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Tickets have yet to go on sale.

Sunday in the Park With George premiered on Broadway in 1984 with Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Its most recent major revival, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford, ran on Broadway in 2017. A planned London transfer never materialized because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The production team has not announced replacements for Bailey and Grande, and a representative for Marianne Elliott did not respond to a request for comment from The Hollywood Reporter. The Barbican said in a statement that it hopes to welcome Grande "one day when the time is right."