London's 'Sunday in the Park With George' Revival Delayed to 2028 After Star Departures

The planned West End revival of Stephen Sondheim's "Sunday in the Park With George" has been postponed until at least 2028, following the exits of Wicked co-stars Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey, who were set to lead the production. Empire Street Productions confirmed that the show, which was to be staged at the Barbican theatre in London next year, will no longer proceed as scheduled, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Barbican itself confirmed that its 2027 production will not go ahead, twelve days after producers announced they were reshaping the show around a new company, as reported by bestoftheatre.co.uk. "The production of Sunday in the Park With George will no longer proceed as scheduled" This decision came after a series of shifts in casting that ultimately left the production without its two headline stars. The revival, to be directed by Marianne Elliott, who previously found major success with a revival of another Sondheim musical, "Company," was announced in January with Grande and Bailey reuniting after their roles in the "Wicked" film adaptation, HuffPost UK noted. That production of "Company" earned Bailey an Olivier Award in 2019, adding weight to the anticipation for this reunion. However, the plan unraveled after Grande stepped back from the role and Bailey also exited, leaving producers to reassess, according to Deadline. "Producers initially stated the show would proceed despite Grande's departure, but they reversed this decision following Bailey's exit, retaining rights to present the production in the future" Empire Street Productions, which holds the rights, is now looking toward 2028 for a potential staging, according to bestoftheatre.co.uk. The delay marks a significant setback for London theatregoers who were eager to see the duo tackle Sondheim's Pulitzer Prize-winning musical about the painter Georges Seurat. With a new timeline and no current cast announced, the future of the production remains uncertain but not abandoned.

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