Following their buzzy turn as Glinda and Fiyero in Wicked and the upcoming Wicked: For Good, Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey are quietly circling a potential reunion on the London stage. According to industry buzz, Grande and Bailey are in early conversations to lead a revival of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Sunday in the Park With George, with plans tentatively targeting a 2027 run.
The production would be directed by Marianne Elliott, the acclaimed theater director whose résumé includes multiple Tony and Olivier Awards. While nothing has been officially announced and several logistical pieces are still in motion, sources suggest there’s “cautious optimism” behind the scenes that the project could move forward.
If it does, the revival would likely land at London’s Barbican Theatre as part of its high-profile summer musical slot. The venue has become a home for prestige revivals in recent years, hosting productions that blend classic material with contemporary star power.
Sunday in the Park With George explores the inner life of artist Georges Seurat as he creates his iconic pointillist painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. The musical examines art, love, ambition, and legacy, with the central relationship between George and his muse Dot anchoring both acts. The roles were famously originated on Broadway by Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters, while the London premiere starred Philip Quast and Maria Friedman and went on to win the Olivier Award for Best New Musical.
For Bailey, the project would mark another collaboration with Elliott, who previously directed him in her groundbreaking, gender-swapped revival of Company. That production proved to be a major career moment for Bailey, positioning him as one of the most exciting stage performers of his generation. Elliott and Bailey also worked together again on Mike Bartlett’s Cock in 2022.
Grande, meanwhile, has openly expressed her desire to return to theater, and a Sondheim revival would mark a major moment in her stage career. The Grammy winner has recently shared that her next tour may be her last for a while, as she steps back from the relentless pace of pop stardom to explore other creative paths. Rather than framing it as a goodbye, Grande has described the moment as an evolution — one that allows space for acting, theater, and more character-driven work. If Sunday in the Park With George does move forward, it could mark a natural next chapter for Grande, one that trades stadiums for the stage and spotlights her growing passion for storytelling beyond the pop machine.
The timing would also align with a renewed global appreciation for Sondheim’s work, as theaters continue to mount ambitious revivals ahead of the composer’s 2030 centenary.
Nothing is locked in just yet, but if the pieces fall into place, a Grande-Bailey-led Sunday in the Park With George could become one of the most anticipated theatrical events of the decade — and another chapter in their increasingly iconic creative partnership.
