Quentin Tarantino’s West End debut now has a date. His play “The Popinjay Cavalier”, starring Sacha Baron Cohen in the title role, opens at London’s Phoenix Theatre on March 18, 2027, with previews from February 23. Tickets go on sale Monday, starting at £25.
Quentin Tarantino will make his West End debut next spring as writer and director of The Popinjay Cavalier, The Hollywood Reporter and IndieWire reported on Monday, October 12.
Key Details
| Venue | Phoenix Theatre, London |
| Previews from | February 23, 2027 |
| Opening night | March 18, 2027 |
| Booking until | June 13, 2027 |
| Tickets | On sale Monday, from £25 ($33) |
| Producers | Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sonia Friedman Productions |
The Play
Set in 1830s Europe, The Popinjay Cavalier is described as a “swash-buckling, rambunctious comedy of deception and disguise inspired by the grand swashbuckling epics of stage and screen”.
The producers say it draws on the swashbuckler genre of old Hollywood, including the writings of George Bruce, Ernst Vajda and Jesse Lasky Jr.
The Star
Sacha Baron Cohen, currently starring in Ali G: Who Iz I?, takes the title role in what will also be his first West End appearance.
He described the phone call from Tarantino: “I said yes before he even got to say his first ‘motherf—er’. When the best director in the world calls, you don’t ask questions. I am beyond delighted that we will be losing our West End virginity together. I have made him promise not to be gentle.”
Tarantino said: “I’m keen with anticipation to give the West End a great night out.”
The Creative Team
- Scenic and costume design: Tom Pye
- Lighting: Natasha Chivers
- Sound: Ian Dickinson
- Fight director: Philip d’Orleans
- Music: Tim Phillips
- Casting: Jim Carnahan
Full casting will be announced later.
What It Means for Tarantino’s Films
IndieWire noted that the stage commitment will delay Tarantino’s next film, which he has promised will be his last. He has also written The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth, the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood sequel, which David Fincher is directing. Tarantino has appeared on stage before, in a revival of Wait Until Dark.
Image: Quentin Tarantino at San Diego Comic-Con, July 2015 (file photo). Photo: Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
