Wicked’s Jonathan Bailey and Ariana Grande to reunite on stage in London as they star in a new production of Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George

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Jonathan Bailey and Ariana Grande will share the stage again in a new version of the musical ‘Sunday in the Park with George’ by Stephen Sondheim.

As a huge Wicked fan, I’m absolutely thrilled to hear that the original stars are going to reunite for a special performance at London’s Barbican Centre in the summer of 2027! It’s a dream come true to think they’ll be performing opposite each other again.

The 1984 musical features music and lyrics by the acclaimed Stephen Sondheim and a story by James Lapine. It’s based on the famous painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, by French artist Georges Seurat.

Jonathan and Ariana hinted at the news on Wednesday by posting a photo of themselves in front of the artwork, which is displayed at The Art Institute of Chicago.

Jonathan shared a photo of the two of them with the caption, ‘All it has to be is good,’ a famous line from the musical they were referencing.

The news has created a buzz in the theatre community, with performers like Lea Salonga, Rachel Zegler, and Marisha Wallace expressing their enthusiasm.

‘Oh my goodness WHAT IS HAPPENING?!’ Lea commented, while Rachel simply wrote: ‘Yeah.’

Marisha posted the popular shocked reaction image of Cynthia Erivo to show how happy she was. Joe Locke, known for his role in Heartstopper and recently in the Broadway production of Sweeney Todd, simply responded with a series of enthusiastic ‘yes’ messages.

Euphoria actress Maude Apatow jokingly exclaimed she was going to have a heart attack, and her sister Iris responded with enthusiastic excitement, writing ‘OMGGGGGG’.

Joshua Colley, a young performer known for his work in musical theatre, posted ‘STOP IT!!’ online, and Bradley Riches, who stars in Heartstopper, responded with ‘AHHHH.’

The show will premiere at the Barbican Centre in London in the summer of 2027. Marianne Elliott will direct, and Tom Scutt will handle the design.

Season tickets for events at the Barbican will be available starting in May 2026. You can purchase them exclusively through the Barbican’s website or box office.

Sunday in the Park with George is a production of Empire Street Productions, and is being presented with the support of the Barbican.

Fans began speculating that Ariana Grande is moving on from her work on the Wicked movie and returning to her pop music career after she appeared at the Golden Globes on Sunday.

Following a year of anticipation and a promotional campaign, the second part of the story from ‘Wicked’ was released in November.

Honestly, playing Glinda has been a lifelong dream of mine! I was pretending to be her all the way back when I was thirteen, so landing the role felt like everything I’d been working towards – a total dream come true, career-wise.

After Ariana Grande changed her hair and stopped wearing her signature ponytail, fans noticed she seemed to have lost weight and expressed concern about her appearance during the promotional events for the movie Wicked.

The 32-year-old pop star was instantly recognizable thanks to her trademark hairstyle, which she always wore whether she was performing, on television, or accepting awards.

Fans were surprised when she dramatically changed her appearance, switching from brunette to blonde hair for the much-awaited role of Glinda in the hit movie.

On Sunday night, Ariana Grande surprised and excited her fans by bringing back her signature high ponytail for the awards show.

The actress switched back to her natural brunette hair color in October, and fans recently noticed it appeared even richer. Many have also commented that she seems healthier since finishing filming the movie Wicked.

Over on TikTok fans were overcome with excitement as they wrote: ‘Ponytailiana, we are so back!’ 

Fans expressed excitement over Ariana’s return, with comments like “She’s back!” and “This is the Ariana we love!” Many also noted she appeared to be in good health.

People also noticed that Ariana Grande has gone back to her previous style now that the intense promotion for ‘Wicked’ – where she and Cynthia Erivo were constantly together – has ended after the past year and a half.

People have noticed Cynthia Erivo is no longer involved with the project, as her contract for ‘Wicked’ has finished and her time with the production is over.

Cynthia didn’t attend the Golden Globes because she’s currently in London rehearsing for her role in the West End production of Dracula.

During the promotional events for the movie Wicked, Ariana repeatedly had to talk about questions and comments people were making about how she looked.

In a 2023 TikTok video, she spoke about concerns people had raised regarding her body, explaining what it’s like to have your physical appearance constantly scrutinized and discussed publicly.

‘I think we should be gentler and less comfortable commenting on people’s bodies, no matter what.’

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2026-01-14 21:36