London musical run cancelled after Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey drop out
A revival of the musical 'Sunday in the Park with George' has been officially cancelled after both Wicked stars pulled out.
A revival of the musical 'Sunday in the Park with George' has been officially cancelled after both Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey pulled out.
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The Wicked stars were due to lead the production at the Barbican theatre in London next year.
Following Grande's departure, Bailey announced he would also withdraw from the play, saying: “Ari is one of my dearest friends, and my support for her is unwavering.”
However, Empire Street Productions says it "will retain the rights" of the Stephen Sondheim musical with plans to present it in 2028.
Grande announced she would be stepping back from public life following the conclusion of her 'Eternal Sunshine' tour after what her team called "endless, ongoing scrutiny."
The US pop star performed the final night of a 10-night sold out residency at the O2 earlier this month and wept as she thanked fans for being “by her side”.
While Grande may have stepped back from public life, she popped up in a trailer for the latest film in the 'Meet the Fockers' franchise.
The music megastar plays the new fiancée of the son of Ben Stiller's character Greg.
Grande has been in the public eye since breaking out as a child star in her teens with a role in the Disney drama Victorious. She has gone on to release eight albums since 2013.
She won three Grammy awards during her successful music career, which took off in 2013 after the release of her debut album, Yours Truly.
She was also nominated for an Oscar for her role as Glinda in the big screen adaptation of Wicked.
Her personal and often tumultuous life has also been a consistent source of news gossip and she was married to Dalton Gomez, an estate agent, from 2020 to 2023. She was also briefly engaged to comedian Pete Davidson and had a long-term relationship with singer Mac Miller, who died of an overdose in 2018.
The accidental drug overdose happened just over a year after the Manchester Arena bombing at Grande's concert, which killed 22 people and injured dozens more.
Grande is currently dating her ex-boyfriend Ricky Alvarez whom she dated back in 2014.
Alvarez, 35, is a dancer and choreographer from San Diego who has worked with Grande and has appeared in multiple music videos and concerts.
Alvarez was referenced in Grande’s 2018 song 'thank u, next', and is thought to be the alleged inspiration for her hit song 'Into You'.
