Have Jonathan Bailey and Ariana Grande just confirmed their roles in a new production of Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George?
Last month we wrote about the rumour swirling around theatreland that a new production of Sondheim’s musical is heading to London’s Barbican Theatre in 2027, reuniting the stars of blockbuster movies Wicked and Wicked: For Good, Jonathan Bailey (Richard II, Company) and pop superstar Ariana Grande.
The rumours have now gone into overdrive as Jonathan and Ariana posted a photo today of the pair sitting in front of one of George Seurat’s most famous paintings, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, at the Art Institute of Chicago, with the words “All it has to be is good.”
Stephen Sondheim, who died in 2021 aged 91, collaborated with James Lapine on the musical, which is inspired by the French painter George Seurat’s work A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. The show follows a character called George, a fictional version of the painter, who immerses himself in the painting.
Jonathan Bailey will be following in the footsteps of Jake Gyllenhaal, who played the role on Broadway in 2017 alongside Annaleigh Ashford. The pair were scheduled to star in the show at London’s Savoy Theatre from June 2020, although this was then postponed after Covid.
Directed by Marianne Elliott
Tony Award and Olivier Award winner Marianne Elliott is set to direct Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Pulitzer Prize-winning show.
A London production of Sunday in the Park with George directed by Marianne Elliott had been originally rumoured to star Andrew Garfield, although it seems that revival is no longer going ahead.
Marianne Elliott will be returning to Sondheim following her acclaimed West End and Broadway revival of Company, which starred Jonathan Bailey, alongside Rosalie Craig (Riot Women).
Marianne Elliott’s recent projects include directing Nick Payne’s new play The Unbelievers at the Royal Court starring Nicola Walker; and coming up, a major revival of Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the National Theatre, starring Monica Barbaro, Lesley Manville and Aidan Turner.
Sondheim in London
Another Sondheim and Lapine show, Into the Woods, is now playing at the Bridge Theatre in London, directed by Jordan Fein. The show has proved a smash-hit with the critics, getting a slate of five-star reviews.
Sunday in the Park with George in London
Sunday in the Park with George is rumoured to be playing at the Barbican Theatre in London in summer 2027, ahead of the Barbican closing for refurbishment in 2028.
More about Sunday in the Park with George tickets in London
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📷 Main photo: Sunday in the Park with George in London rumoured to star Jonathan Bailey (Richard II, Photo by Manuel Harlan) & Ariana Grande (Wicked For Good UK premiere, Photo by Zekariah Al-Bostani (c) Universal)
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