Ariana Grande to make London stage debut with Jonathan Bailey in 'Sunday in the Park With George'

Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey will reunite on stage in Stephen Sondheim’s Pulitzer prize-winning musical Sunday in the Park With George at the Barbican Centre in London in summer 2027, a production that was hotly rumoured and announced on Wednesday. The show, with a book by James Lapine, follows two artists: one inspired by the pointillist Georges Seurat and the other the character’s great‑grandson.

Bailey and Grande shared an Instagram photo of themselves sitting in front of Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, which is displayed at the Art Institute of Chicago, and the new production will chart the Seurat‑inspired character’s relationship with his model, Dot.

Marianne Elliott will stage the Barbican production; she directed Bailey in a 2018 West End revival of Company that was named best musical revival at the Olivier awards, and for which Bailey won best actor in a supporting role in a musical. The production will be designed by Tom Scutt.

Bailey’s profile has risen since Company, with roles including in Netflix’s Bridgerton and performances as Fiyero in the two blockbusters based on Stephen Schwartz’s musical Wicked. Ariana Grande, who plays Glinda in the Wicked films, will make her London theatre debut in the Barbican production.

Key Topics

Culture, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Barbican Centre, Stephen Sondheim, Marianne Elliott