Rumors are swirling on X that they will be starring in a West End revival directed by Marianne Elliot.
Grande also said this in her recent NY Times feature
and teased something stage-related coming up soon: “It’s not on Broadway, but it’s something that I’m very excited about and inspired by.”
The more I think about it, the more I can really see it. Both of them are age appropriate for the roles, and this would give Grande the chance to show off her live theater chops in one of the best female musical roles written for the stage.
There was a rumor a while ago about Bailey doing this show and then he announced his acting hiatus so I just wrote it off.
But could you even imagine?
I remember there being rumors a while ago of Andrew Garfield starring in it.
It's hard to imagine a theatre big enough or ticket prices high enough. It would also thrust Sunday in the Park into the mainstream culture in a way that is very unusual for the show and Sondheim. And the chances of a film higher than ever if they could bring that cast in too. Of course I'd love it to happen, but does make me nervous!
I'd love to see what Elliot does with this no matter who is starring in it. But this would be insane. I'd love to hear both their vocals on it.
Jeffrey Karasarides said: "I remember there being rumors a while ago of Andrew Garfield starring in it."
Andrew Garfield and Jonathan Bailey both have a past working relationship with Marianne Elliott, but Bailey’s star is brighter at the moment and he’d sell more tickets than Garfield (not that he needs to if he’s opposite Grande). Personally, I can’t stand Andrew Garfield, so I’d also just prefer he no longer be rumored/attached if this is true.
Any way you look at it: With a cast like this, art IS easy
binau said: "It's hard to imagine a theatre big enough or ticket prices high enough. It would also thrust Sunday in the Park into the mainstream culture in a way that is very unusual for the show and Sondheim. And the chances of a film higher than ever if they could bring that cast in too. Of course I'd love it to happen, but does make me nervous!
"
Wasn't that all pretty true of the Jake Gyllenhaal production (Which of course never made it to London in the end.)
I would say yes and no. Yes in the sense that clearly Jake G brought a new audience to Sunday - if I recall it had the highest grossing week of a Sondheim musical ever on Broadway at the time (a record that was previously held by the Bernadette Follies if I recall if you remember it had a few good weeks before the audience dried up).
But I did attend the revival twice, including the final performance (where the horn player inexplicably and infamously cracked on the final notes right at the end of the show, Sondheim in the audience!). My take on the 'vibe' was that it was still a New York prestige theatre audience with some mainstream presence.
Whereas to have Ariana Grande in this show with Jonathan Bailey right now is an A list event - Ariana Grande has 370 million instagram followers. Jake G has less than 10 (as does Jonathan Bailey, but thanks to Wicked and Bridgeton he is hot right now). He just was voted sexist man alive or something too!
I can see Jonathan Bailey being involved in this. But to get Ariana Grande would be a major, major casting event. I would not be surprised if the rumour turns out we have Jonathan Bailey with someone more realistic.
Chorus Member Joined: 4/22/23
"He just was voted sexist man alive or something too!"
Now this be one funny typo!
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/30/16
Actually would believe Ariana would do something like this. She’s a theater person through and through. What it would mean for ticket prices however makes me physically ill. Her arena tour tickets were insanely priced, cut that capacity down to 1/10 for a theater? Forget about it.
Actually that’s untrue. Her prices were super reasonable, it’s the resell tickets that were insane. But she actually worked with Ticketmaster to not honor any resell tickets or to make them less crazy. But with her tour coming up I can’t imagine she’d be doing this unless it’s like a one month thing at the Palladium or something. Or in 2027.
I think they’d both be great and would love to see Elliott’s take on the piece. I just hope the Ari stans behave themselves in the theatre.
Binau I do get your point. Honestly, I was half asleep and was thinking more that I didn't think Jonathan Bailey would necessarily bring in a different audience than Jake Gylenhaal but I see your focus is on Grande and her fanbase...
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