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Sacha Baron Cohen to Star in Quentin Tarantino's First Play The Popinjay Cavalier
Sacha Baron Cohen will star in The Popinjay Cavalier, Quentin Tarantino's first work written for the stage, which he will also direct. The play premieres at the Phoenix theatre in London's West End on 18 March 2027.
By Haut Monde Post
• October 12, 2026
• 3 Min Read
Sacha Baron Cohen will headline The Popinjay Cavalier, the first play Quentin Tarantino has written for the stage, when it opens at the Phoenix theatre in London's West End on 18 March 2027. Tarantino will also direct the production, with tickets going on sale on Monday.
A first for stage and star
The production marks the Hollywood director's first work written for the stage, and he will direct it himself. For Baron Cohen, it is also new territory: the 54-year-old, known for creating and playing characters including Ali G, Borat Sagdiyev and Brüno Gehard, has not previously had a leading role in a major stage production. He trained with the French clown guru Philippe Gaulier.
Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sonia Friedman Productions are producing the play.
What the play is about
Set in 1830s Europe, The Popinjay Cavalier has been billed as a "rambunctious comedy of deception and disguise inspired by the grand swashbuckling epics of" stage and screen. Tarantino drew on the classic swashbuckler genre of old Hollywood, including the writings of George Bruce, Ernst Vajda and Jesse Lasky Jr.
What the pair and producers said
Tarantino said he was "keen with anticipation to give the West End a great night out".
Baron Cohen recalled accepting the role before the conversation went far: "Quentin called, I said yes before he even got to say his first 'motherfucker'." He added: "When the best director in the world calls, you don't ask."
"I am beyond delighted that we will be losing our West End virginity together. I have made him promise not to be gentle."
Tom Rothman, chairman and chief executive of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Motion Picture Group, and Sonia Friedman said it is "a joy and an honour" to develop the play with Quentin, calling it quite an adventure, and that they are lucky one of the great storytellers of our time has chosen to make his theatrical debut.
The producers described Baron Cohen as "a fearless, brilliantly inventive actor with the wit, mischief and daring this role demands".
Tickets and what comes next
Full casting will be announced at a later date. Popinjay Cavalier tickets are sold as follows:
- •Priority access: from 9am BST on Monday, for those who signed up
- •Public sale: from 12pm on Monday
- •Prices: tickets start at £25, with more than 16,000 tickets priced at under £50 across the run
