Two of the most influential performers working today will lead a major new London revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Sunday in the Park with George, with Jonathan Bailey and Ariana Grande announced to star when the production opens at the Barbican Centre in Summer 2027.

The musical, widely regarded as one of Sondheim’s most intellectually ambitious works, will be directed by Marianne Elliott, with design by Tom Scutt. Together, the creative team signals a production positioned firmly at the intersection of classical musical theatre and contemporary cultural relevance.

First premiered in 1984, Sunday in the Park with George explores the act of artistic creation through the life of painter Georges Seurat and the legacy of his work across generations. Its themes – ambition, isolation, intimacy, and the personal cost of creativity – feel newly resonant in an era defined by visibility, pressure, and the demand for constant output.

Bailey brings extensive stage experience alongside recent global screen success, while Grande continues to expand her acting career following her acclaimed performance in Wicked. Their pairing suggests a production that speaks both to established theatre audiences and to a broader generation encountering Sondheim through new voices.

The Barbican, increasingly central to London’s most high-profile and formally adventurous theatre work, provides a fitting setting for a musical that resists easy categorisation – emotional without sentimentality, rigorous without austerity.

Tickets for the season will go on sale in May 2026, with further creative and casting details to be announced. To be the first to hear details and all further information about the production, sign-up at www.sundayintheparkmusical.com.

As major artists from different disciplines converge on one of Sondheim’s defining works, this new Sunday in the Park with George looks set to become a significant cultural event in the London theatre calendar.