Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey will bring Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park With George back to life on the West End, with a new revival slated to open in London in summer 2027.
The musical is set to run at the Barbican Theatre and will be directed by Marianne Elliott, whose recent work includes the acclaimed gender-reimagined revival of Company. Producers confirmed the casting Wednesday after Grande and Bailey sparked speculation online with a carefully staged Instagram post: the two sat side by side in front of Georges Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, the pointillist painting that inspired the musical.
Tickets for the Barbican’s 2027 season are expected to go on sale in May 2026.
A Modern Take on a Sondheim Classic
Featuring music and lyrics by Sondheim and a book by James Lapine, Sunday in the Park With George centers on a fictionalized Seurat, an obsessive artist driven to complete his masterpiece. Bailey will take on the role of George, while Grande is set to portray Dot, the painter’s lover, collaborator, and emotional anchor.
The production will be mounted by Empire Street Productions and presented in association with the Barbican, continuing the venue’s history of hosting ambitious theatrical revivals with contemporary relevance.
First staged on Broadway in 1984, Sunday in the Park With George is widely considered one of Sondheim’s most introspective works, blending meditations on art, intimacy, and legacy. The original production starred Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters and earned the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, along with major awards recognition on both sides of the Atlantic.
A Major Stage Moment for Grande
The revival marks Grande’s long-anticipated West End debut. While best known for her chart-topping music career, Grande began performing on Broadway as a teenager in the musical 13 before transitioning to television and pop superstardom.
Her return to the stage follows a Golden Globe nomination for Wicked: For Good and comes as she prepares to tour behind her most recent album, Eternal Sunshine. In a November interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Grande expressed a desire to reconnect with live theater.
“I would love to be on stage in that way again,” she said at the time. “It’s a different muscle, and I love telling stories in different forms.”
Bailey’s Homecoming to the West End
For Bailey, the revival continues a strong run of London stage work. He most recently appeared in Richard II in 2024 and starred in Cock in 2022. He also previously collaborated with Elliott in her 2018 revival of Company, earning a Laurence Olivier Award for best supporting actor in a musical.
The actor, who balances film franchises like Jurassic World Rebirth with global recognition from Bridgerton, has also been vocal about taking intentional pauses in his career. In 2025, he announced plans to step back from select projects to focus on The Shameless Fund, his LGBTQ+ charity supporting queer advocacy and creative work.
A Legacy Revival Returns
Sunday in the Park With George last appeared on Broadway in 2017, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford. That revival introduced the musical to a new generation, reinforcing its status as one of Sondheim’s most enduring achievements.
With Grande and Bailey leading the cast and Elliott at the helm, the 2027 West End revival is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched theater events of the decade.
