Photo: Taylor Hill//WireImage
The would-be reunion between Wicked castmates Jonathan Bailey and Ariana Grande is officially kaput. The two were set to play lovers George and Dot in the West End revival of Sunday in the Park With George, the Stephen Sondheim musical premiering in the summer of 2027. Last month, Grande announced her departure from the show, citing her need for a “much-deserved break.” On Tuesday, Bailey announced that he, too, is stepping back from the project in solidarity with Grande.
“Ari is one of my dearest friends, and my support for her is unwavering. Marianne [Elliott, the production’s director] is extraordinary and one of my longest collaborators and friends,” Bailey wrote in an Instagram Story Tuesday. “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,” he added. “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.”
Closely following Bailey’s announcement, the show’s producers shared their own update to X, noting that the actor had “informed the producers that he has also decided to withdraw” from the show. “Work on the production continues,” the statement read. “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.”
