Jonathan Bailey has dropped out of the previously announced West End revival of Sunday in the Park with George. In a statement posted to his social media, Bailey shared that he has made the decision to step back from the production after his friend Ariana Grande announced her departure in August.
“Ari is one of my dearest friends, and my support for her is unwavering,” Bailey wrote in his statement. “Marianne is extraordinary and one of my longest collaborators and friends,” Bailey says. “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. 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.”
“I wish the very best to the entire company with what will no doubt be an incredible production, and I will be cheering them on as they continue this journey.”
As BroadwayWorld previously reported, Grande departed the production after she announced she would be “taking a step back from visibility” due to “endless, ongoing public scrutiny.” A statement on the show’s official social media acounts notes that the production is still scheduled to go on.
“Work on the production continues,” the statement reads. “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.”
Further casting and production details are expected to be announced at a future date. The production is scheduled to open at the Barbican in summer 2027.
Sunday in the Park With George premiered on Broadway in 1984, starring Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters. The musical won the 1985 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, two Tony Awards for design (and a nomination for Best Musical), and numerous Drama Desk Awards. Several subsequent revivals followed, including the 2005–2006 UK production first presented at the Menier Chocolate Factory, its 2008 Broadway transfer, and a 2017 Broadway revival, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford.
The show was last seen in London at the Menier Chocolate Factory, opening on November 14, 2005, and closing on March 17, 2006. The production starred Daniel Evans and Anna-Jane Casey, with direction by Sam Buntrock. The production transferred to the Wyndham’s Theatre in London’s West End, opening on May 23, 2006, and closing on September 2, 2006. Jenna Russell replaced Casey. The revival received six Olivier Award nominations overall, and won five in total including Outstanding Musical Production, Best Actor in a Musical and Best Actress in a Musical.
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