Outline:
Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey Set to Reunite on Stage
Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey are set to reunite for a new stage production, marking a significant moment in their careers. A new Instagram account was launched on Wednesday for the West End revival of Stephen Sondheim’s iconic musical Sunday in the Park With George, which was first awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1984. The account’s initial post confirmed that both stars have been cast in leading roles.
“@jbayleaf & @arianagrande will star in a new stage production of Stephen Sondheim’s legendary musical, Sunday In The Park With George,” the caption read. This announcement has generated excitement among fans and theater enthusiasts alike.
Marianne Elliott, a Tony Award-winning director, is set to helm the production, while Tom Scutt will serve as the production designer. The musical, based on a book by James Lapine, is scheduled to take place at the Barbican Theatre in London.
A Glimpse into Their Collaboration
Hours before the official Instagram announcement, the Wicked costars hinted at their reteaming through a joint Instagram post. The photo, taken at the Art Institute of Chicago, features Grande and Bailey sitting before Georges Seurat’s famous pointillist painting, “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.”
The caption of the post reads, “All it has to be is good,” a line that holds significant meaning within the musical. This piece of art served as the inspiration for Sunday in the Park With George. The play follows a fictionalized version of Seurat, who is deeply committed to his work, and his cynical great-grandson, who becomes disillusioned as an artist in 1980s New York. Bailey will portray Seurat, while Grande will play his neglected mistress, Dot.
A Legacy of Excellence
The original production of the play opened off-Broadway in 1983, starring Bernadette Peters and Mandy Patinkin. It later moved to Broadway a year later. Deadline first reported on the possibility of Grande and Bailey reuniting for the revival in late December.
Grande and Bailey previously starred together in the blockbuster Wicked films, with Grande playing Glinda the Good and Bailey portraying Fiyero and the Scarecrow. Their friendship has been well-documented, with both stars expressing their admiration for each other’s work.
A Deep Connection
“I first met Jonathan Bailey at dance rehearsal for Wicked. I was nervous because I have always found him so brilliant — having bookmarked and memorized a few bootleg clips of him onstage in Company and The Last Five Years — but from the moment we met, I felt like I was giggling with someone I had known for 20 years,” Grande wrote for Time magazine last year. “I felt so immediately safe, connected to, and obsessed with my new scene partner and friend.”
“The first film, obviously with Ari, the collaboration was like putting a Mento in Diet Coke,” Bailey told the Hollywood Reporter last June. “It was twinkly, to say the least. And that was right for the chemistry between Fiyero and Glinda, and that sort of ability to keep everything alive and playful. I look forward to working together again for sure.”
A Rich Background in Theater
Neither Grande nor Bailey is a stranger to the stage. The eternal sunshine pop star performed with the Fort Lauderdale Children’s Theater, landing her first role as the titular character in Annie, before going on to appear in their productions of The Wizard of Oz and Beauty and the Beast. She was later cast as Charlotte, a cheerleader, in the Broadway production of 13 in 2008.
Bailey, who began his career as a child actor with the Royal Shakespeare Company, appeared in the West End production of Les Misérables at the age of 8. The Bridgerton star has appeared in several plays and musicals, including Othello, The Last Five Years, The York Realist, and Richard II. For his portrayal of Jamie in the gender-swapped revival of Company, which was also directed by Elliott, Bailey won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 2019.