Jonathan Bailey Withattracts From ‘Sunday Within the Park With George’

Jonathan Bailey has withdrawn from the London manufacturing of Sunday within the Park WIth George, following Ariana Grande’s earlier departure. 

“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,” Bailey stated in a press release on social media. “After much consideration, I have decided to also step back from ‘Sunday in the Park with George.’” 

“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,” he continued. “I wish the very best to the entire company. I will be cheering them on as they continue with this production.”

Bailey was set to play the lead position within the manufacturing on the Barbican in summer time 2027. The manufacturing, which was initially introduced to be directed by Marianne Elliott, didn’t instantly reply to a request for touch upon whether or not it is going to be transferring ahead with that date. A consultant for Elliott additionally didn’t reply to request for remark.

However in a press release the manufacturing, led by producers Empire Street Productions, stated, “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 assertion continued.

Grande confirmed her resolution to not star within the stage present, as Dot, reverse Bailey, her co-star in Wicked, in August as a part of her bigger resolution to “step back from visibility” after her tour ends and amid a big diploma of scrutiny over her well being.

“Following this evening’s announcement from Ariana Grande’s team, we can confirm that she has decided to step back from Sunday in the Park With George,” Empire Street Productions shared in a press release on the time. “We know this cannot have been an easy decision, and she makes it with our complete understanding and support. The production will open at the Barbican in summer 2027 as planned, and casting will be announced in due course.”

The ticket on-sale dates for Sunday within the Park With George have already been pushed again twice, having initially been scheduled for May 2026, then delayed to summer time 2026, in order that tickets might be launched as soon as Grande’s The Eternal Sunshine Tour completed. Tickets have but to go on sale.

The musical, which premiered in 1984, options music and lyrics by Sondheim and a ebook by Lapine and sees a fictionalized model of French painter Georges Seurat as he creates, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, with Dot, his muse and lover, posing for the portray. The final main revival of the musical occurred on Broadway in 2017, with Jake Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford. The manufacturing was introduced to switch to London, however by no means crossed the pond because of the COVID-19 pandemic.