The casting of Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey for Sunday in the Park With George initially looked like one of those rare pieces of theatre casting that simply clicked on paper. The Wicked co-stars were set to reunite at London’s Barbican, with Bailey taking on painter George Seurat and Grande playing Dot and Marie. For a musical built around art, ambition, intimacy and the complicated bond between creator and muse, their pairing carried an intriguing echo of the chemistry they had already established as Glinda and Fiyero.

What once promised a major West End reunion has now taken an unexpected turn.

In a Deadline exclusive, Jonathan Bailey has confirmed that he is stepping away from Sunday in the Park With George, weeks after Ariana Grande announced her own departure from the planned 2027 revival. 

“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…After much consideration, I have decided to also step back from Sunday in the Park with George,” he said.   

The news effectively removes both of the production’s announced leads, turning what had been one of London theatre’s most closely watched reunions into a major recasting exercise.

As per Deadline, Bailey was due to play George, the fictionalized version of French Neo-Impressionist painter Georges Seurat, opposite Grande’s Dot and Marie. The role is a particularly demanding one because Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s musical moves beyond conventional romantic storytelling, using Seurat’s painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte as a springboard for a meditation on artistic obsession, relationships and legacy. Bailey’s statement makes clear that the production itself remains close to him, even as he steps away. 

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Now the stage is being reset from scratch.

For Ariana Grande, the immediate road ahead remains firmly tied to film and a deliberate reduction in public visibility. She stars as Olivia Jones in Focker-in-Law, the next installment of the Meet the Parents franchise, alongside Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro and the returning ensemble. Universal has the film scheduled for November 25, 2026. Her decision to leave Sunday in the Park With George therefore appears consistent with the broader pause she announced after her tour.

Jonathan Bailey, meanwhile, is hardly disappearing from the screen. His recent run has included Fiyero in Wicked: For Good, Dr. Henry Loomis in Jurassic World: Rebirth and Anthony Bridgerton in Netflix’s Bridgerton. His upcoming slate includes an untitled John Lee Hancock film and Pumping Black, while Bridgerton continues to keep him firmly within the streaming conversation. His departure from the Sondheim revival therefore closes one theatrical chapter while leaving plenty of screen work ahead.

For a project that began with the irresistible prospect of Wicked’s Fiyero and Glinda trading Oz for Sondheim, the road to the Barbican has become considerably more unpredictable.

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What do you think of Jonathan Bailey stepping away from Sunday in the Park With George after Ariana Grande’s exit? Share your thoughts in the comments.