The Barbican revival of Sunday in the Park With George will not open next year as planned. Empire Street Productions announced Monday that the show’s 2027 run has been postponed, with the company retaining rights to mount it in 2028 instead. The delay follows the departures of both Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey, who were set to headline the Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine musical together.
Bailey’s exit, announced September 1, came roughly a month after Grande withdrew from the production. Both stars had planned to reunite on stage after playing Fiyero and Glinda in the two-part Wicked films, with Bailey cast as painter George Seurat opposite Grande as Dot and Marie. “Ari is one of my dearest friends, and my support for her is unwavering,” Bailey wrote on Instagram, adding that director Marianne Elliott was “one of my longest collaborators and friends.” He called the musical “a real passion project” and said he looked forward to seeing what new actors would bring to the roles.
Grande’s representatives framed her departure as part of a broader retreat from public life once her Eternal Sunshine tour concluded in London. Her team cited “endless, ongoing public scrutiny,” a period that intensified after the release of her music video for “Petal” drew widespread commentary about her appearance. Producers said at the time that her decision “cannot have been an easy decision” and pledged their support.
Casting for the reunion had been announced in January, with the Barbican engagement originally slated for summer 2027. Ticket on-sale dates had already slipped twice, from May 2026 to later that summer, partly to align with the end of Grande’s tour. Producers initially maintained that the show’s premiere timeline was unaffected by Grande’s exit and said the creative team was “reshaping the production around a new company.” Monday’s announcement reverses that position, pushing the production back a full year.
First staged Off-Broadway in 1983 before transferring to Broadway with Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters, Sunday in the Park With George won two Tony Awards for its design and the 1985 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It has been revived on Broadway twice, in 2008 and 2017, and staged in London in 1990 and 2005. No word yet on casting for the delayed production; Empire Street says more details will come later.
