Why has Ariana Grande stepped back? Star cancels London theatre debut
Singer's Eternal Sunshine tour still going ahead, with dates in London, as Barbican theatre role to be recast
Ariana Grande has confirmed she is to take a break from public life and has pulled out of her planned London stage debut.
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The 33-year-old confirmed she has dropped out of Sunday in the Park with George, which she was due to star in at the Barbican from next year, alongside Jonathan Bailey.
Grande, who released her eighth studio album, Petal, on Friday, will instead commit to seeing through the remainder of The Eternal Sunshine Tour.
It remains to be seen how much of a role she will have in promoting her next film Focker-in-Law, which comes out in November, and sees her star alongside Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro.
Her announcement comes amid a tumultuous time for the star, who has recently confirmed she is back together with her ex-boyfriend Ricky Alvarez.
But there is a lot more to it, as Grande has also been under scrutiny about her perceived health issues and appearance.
Here is what we know.
Why has Ariana Grande stepped back?
The singer and actress will “take a step back from visibility,” which has led to “endless, ongoing public scrutiny”.
Her part in Sunday in the Park With George will be recast.
Grande has endured years of scrutiny over her appearance and weight, and appeared to address this in Petal album track Like I Do, which contains the lyric “I’ve got s*** to talk, keeps me well fed”.
During a 2014 interview, she said: “I have heard every form of what is wrong with me. And then you fix it and then it is wrong for different reasons.”
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.
Her personal life has also been a consistent source of news gossip and she was married to Dalton Gomez, an estate agent, from 2020 to 2023.
Ariana Grande’s UK tour dates
There are only 10 non-North American dates in the Eternal Sunshine tour, but all of these will be in London’s O2 Arena. The dates will be:
- August 15,
- August 16,
- August: 19,
- August 20,
- August 23,
- August 24,
- August 27,
- August 28,
- August 31,
- September 1
There are several further North American shows to be performed before Eternal Sunshine comes to the UK.
Eternal Sunshine Tour setlist
In shows, up until now, Grande has played the majority of her Eternal Sunshine album, although not in order. The set may be changed up now that Petal has been released.
According to setlist.com, Grande performed the following songs in her most recent show in Montreal on July 31.
- yes, and?
- positions
- dandelion
- the boy is mine
- eternal sunshine
- just like magic
- thank u, next
- 7 rings
- imperfect for you
- warm
- safety net
- one last time
- rain on me
- break free
- twilight zone
- past life
- dangerous woman
- honeymoon avenue
- hampstead
- into you
- hate that i made you love me
- petal
- stay
- oh well
- we can’t be friends (wait for your love)
- supernatural