Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey Tease West End Revival of ‘Sunday in the Park With George’
Following their celebrated collaboration in the Wicked cinematic duology, Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey are preparing to trade the Land of Oz for the pointillist landscapes of 19th-century France. The pair are set to reunite for a new production of Stephen Sondheim’s Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, Sunday in the Park With George, on London’s West End.
The speculation reached a fever pitch on Wednesday (Jan. 14) after the costars shared a cryptic joint post on Instagram. The photograph captures Grande and Bailey from behind as they stand within the Art Institute of Chicago, gazing at Georges Seurat’s masterpiece, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte—the very painting that serves as the foundation for Sondheim’s stage work.
“All it has to be is good,” the duo captioned the image, directly quoting a lyrical refrain from the musical’s opening title track.
According to reports from Deadline, the revival is slated to premiere in the summer of 2027 at the Barbican Theatre in London. While a formal announcement is still forthcoming, acclaimed director Marianne Elliott is expected to helm the project. Elliott previously directed Bailey in the award-winning 2018 West End revival of Company.
This production will mark Grande’s inaugural appearance on the West End, though her theatrical roots run deep. The Grammy winner launched her career at age 13 in the Broadway musical 13 and later showcased her musical theater prowess as Penny Pingleton in NBC’s Hairspray Live! in 2016.
The bond between Grande and the Bridgerton star was solidified during the filming of Jon M. Chu’s Wicked. Grande’s transformative performance as Glinda earned her an Academy Award nomination, while Bailey starred opposite her as the charismatic Fiyero.
Grande has been increasingly vocal about her desire to prioritize acting and live theater over her pop music career. Speaking with Interview magazine last November, she reflected on her artistic evolution, stating, “I would love to be on stage again… it’s funny, because I thought that’s what I would be doing with my life when I was a young girl.”
