Ariana Grande has withdrawn from the upcoming West End revival of Sunday in the Park with George, with a representative confirming she is stepping back from public-facing work following the conclusion of her Eternal Sunshine Tour.
Grande had been set to reunite with her Wicked co-star Jonathan Bailey in the Marianne Elliott-directed production, playing the dual roles of Dot and Marie opposite Bailey’s Georges Seurat.
A rep for the singer told Deadline: “Ariana will be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour.”
Producers Empire Street Productions confirmed the news in a statement following the announcement from Grande’s team: “We know this cannot have been an easy decision, and she makes it with our complete understanding and support. We wish her nothing but the best. The production will open at the Barbican in summer 2027 as planned, and casting will be announced in due course.”
The revival, based on Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 1984 musical, was first confirmed in January when Grande and Bailey shared a photo of themselves at the Art Institute of Chicago in front of Georges Seurat’s painting “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte,” the artwork that inspired the show.
At the time, the pair captioned the post with a line from the musical’s title song: “All it has to be is good.”
Grande has previously spoken about her desire to return to the stage after beginning her career on Broadway, telling interviewers: “I think as someone who started on Broadway, I would love to be on stage in that way again, and exercise a different muscle and continue to tell stories in different ways.”
Grande’s final show on the Eternal Sunshine Tour is scheduled for 1 September in London.
She has other projects still on the horizon, including the film Focker-In-Law, due for release on 25 November.
Casting for her replacement in Sunday in the Park with George has not yet been announced.
