Ariana Grande has received a supportive send-off from the team behind Sunday in the Park with George. The singer will no longer appear in the upcoming London production opposite her Wicked co-star, Jonathan Bailey. Grande’s exit comes as she prepares to step away from public-facing work after finishing her tour. The West End musical will still open at the Barbican as planned.
Ariana gets support from the production team after exiting Sunday in the Park with George
The production team confirmed Grande’s departure in a statement published by the Barbican. Producers said the decision could not have been easy and offered their “complete understanding and support.”
“We wish her nothing but the best,” the statement continued. The team confirmed that Sunday in the Park with George will open at London’s Barbican Centre in summer 2027 and said it will announce replacement casting later.
Page Six reported that Grande originally signed on to play Dot and Marie alongside Bailey, who will portray Georges and George. The pair first announced their West End reunion in January after working together in Wicked and Wicked: For Good.
Grande’s representative recently confirmed that she plans to step away from the spotlight after her Eternal Sunshine Tour ends in London on Sept. 1. The representative said she wants to complete the tour “healthily and happily” before taking a break from appearances that have brought “endless, ongoing public scrutiny.”
A source close to Grande also told People that she remains supportive of the Sondheim revival and “cannot wait to support the brilliant team bringing this project to life.” Her exit therefore appears to mark a change in her immediate workload, not a public break with the producers or Bailey.
The decision also reflects comments Grande made earlier this year about seeking more balance. She said the previous 15 years had felt nonstop and suggested that the next chapter of her career would look different. The West End musical remains on track despite losing one of its original leads. Bailey remains set to star, while director Marianne Elliott and designer Tom Scutt remain part of the production.
Grande’s departure will undoubtedly disappoint fans who hoped to see the Wicked co-stars reunite onstage. Still, the producers’ response makes one point clear: They support her choice and plan to move forward without public conflict.
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Originally reported by Misbah Pandith on Reality Tea
