Producers of the upcoming London revival of Sunday in the Park with George have issued a statement following Jonathan Bailey’s departure, shortly after Ariana Grande’s withdrawal. The production team says casting talks are ongoing as they redesign the show around a new company.

The planned revival of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Sunday in the Park with George has suffered a setback with the withdrawal of lead actor Jonathan Bailey. This follows earlier news that Ariana Grande, also cast in the production, had left the project.

Producers confirmed that despite these changes, work on the show continues and the creative team is actively engaged in recasting. They emphasised that the new company will still uphold the artistic vision of the original musical.

The two-person team behind the musical, Sondheim and Lapine, crafted the show loosely around the life of Georges Seurat, the painter famous for his large-scale work A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. The musical has not seen a major London production for nearly 20 years.

The new revival is set to be directed by Marianne Elliott, known for her critically acclaimed direction of Company in both the West End and Broadway. Tom Scutt, who recently earned acclaim for his design on Sondheim’s Into the Woods, is leading the design for this production.

Further casting and production details have yet to be confirmed. The producers promise to announce updates regarding the new schedule and casting in due course.

Sunday in the Park with George remains a significant part of the theatre canon, and the ongoing reshaping of this revival will be watched closely given its high-profile creative team and original cast ambitions.