Here's Hoping

Please note, this show has not officially been announced. Please check back for updates!

The rumour mill is in overdrive with the news that Wicked stars Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey are to possibly reunite in a brand new version of Stephen Sondheim's painterly masterpiece, eyeing a 2027 staging at the Barbican. Tipped for the director is Marianne Elliott, whose recent Tony-winning Broadway run of the composer's Merrily We Roll Along is currently enjoying new life in cinemas. While nothing is set in stone, we're sure this pairing would do an excellent job, illuminating the live stage with their electric chemistry and cementing their superstar status, for good!

The Show

With a book by James Lapine with music and lyrics by Sondheim, Sunday in the Park imagines the life of the post-impressionist painter Georges Seurat, who worked in Paris in the late 18th century and popularised pointillism, as seen in his most famous work, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.
The musical premiered on Broadway in 1984 and has since become a rare favourite of Sondheim's oeuvre, with the original production winning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, two Tony Awards, and an Olivier Award. A 2017 production with Jake Gyllenhaal was set to transfer to London but was interrupted by the COVID pandemic. Let's hope Ari and Jonathan's potential revival finally gives West End audiences the chance to enjoy this very special show!

The Story

The show centres on the painter Georges Seurat as he creates his most famous painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. Art and reality merge as the show delves into Seurat's obsessive imagination, while also offering up glimpses into the lives of the people he immortalised on his canvas.