Ethan Slater Struggles in First Appearance Post-Split

News of his split from was made public this week. 

Yet put on a brave face as he attended the opening night of Romeo & Juliet at Free Shakespeare in the Park in New York on Thursday. 

The Broadway star, 34, appeared to be showing as he hit the red carpet, crossing his arms over himself as he posed for photographs and looking tired.

Casually clad for the performance, Ethan donned a plain white T-shirt and black jeans with trainers. 

The choice of play, Shakespeare's tale of star-crossed lovers, was no doubt a sore one for Ethan after it was revealed he and Ariana .  

Yet despite claims the split was amicable, fans have speculated that Ariana may have taken a parting shot at Ethan with her new song, I Hate That I Made You Love Me. 

The single, which Ariana has claimed is one of her favourites ever, comes from her upcoming album, Petal, and seemingly addresses her regret over a relationship as well as her complicated feelings about the fickle nature of fame. 

Fans have suggested Ethan could be the subject of the pop hit, which features lyrics such as 'I’ve held your projections when you’ve felt so insecure / Tell me, why is it this way? / 

'Why you so hate to see women endure? / Is it really my fault you all gave me your hearts of your own accord? / I don’t really think so.'

One eagle-eyed fan went as far to suggest that the music video contains subtle references to Ethan's role as SpongeBob SquarePants on Broadway, noting the font, Ariana's yellow dress and bubble sound effects. 

This is said to be coincidental, however, with sources stating that Ariana's new album was not at all inspired by the breakup, nor is the music about her relationship with Ethan.

An insider added to Daily Mail that the split came after a significant amount of consideration and lengthy deliberation, and that the pair remain friends. 

It's believed the pair separated several months ago, and Ariana has been doing well in the wake of the breakup, focusing her energy on her ongoing Eternal Sunshine tour, which kicked off on June 6 in California, and will wrap up on September 1 in London.

The tour is Ariana's first big project since being trapped in the all consuming Wicked bubble, which saw her film and promote the two musicals back to back over the span of three years. 

During this time, the singer raised eyebrows several times with her behaviour, with fans expressing concern over her shrinking frame and bizarre bond with that bordered on co-dependency.

Yet it was Ariana's relationship with co-star Ethan that sparked the most scandal, given the pair were both married when they met. 

Now, however, Ariana is doing all she can to distance herself from her controversial Glinda role - ditching her blonde locks, getting back to making music and notably splitting from Ethan. 

The breakup severs her last ties to her role as Glinda, as Ethan played her doting admirer and Munchkin Boq in the movie. 

When their real-life relationship was revealed the pair were subject to affair rumours, although both parties have insisted they were single when they started dating.