Sacha Baron Cohen Joins Tarantino Play in London's West End

Actor Sacha Baron Cohen will lead The Popinjay Cavalier, the first stage play written and directed by filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, when the production opens at London's Phoenix Theatre in the West End on March 18. Set in 1830s Europe, the comedy centers on deception and disguise and draws inspiration from classic swashbuckling adventures.

According to the production announcement, priority ticket sales begin at 9 a.m. Monday for people who registered for early access, followed by general sales at noon. Tickets start at £25, with more than 16,000 tickets priced below £50 across the run.

Tarantino, known for films including Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, will direct the production. The full cast has not yet been announced.

The filmmaker said he was "keen with anticipation to give the West End a great night out" as he prepares to make his theatrical debut.

Cohen, 54, is best known for creating comic characters including Ali G and Borat. He welcomed the opportunity to work with Tarantino, describing his enthusiasm for the collaboration in a statement.

"Quentin called, I said yes, before he even got to say his first 'motherf-----'. 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," Cohen said.

The play is described by its producers as a lively comedy involving deception and disguises, inspired by grand adventures on stage and screen. Its influences include classic Hollywood swashbucklers and the writings of George Bruce, Ernest Vajda and Jesse Lasky Jr.

Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sonia Friedman Productions are producing the show. Tom Rothman, chief executive of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Motion Picture Group, and producer Sonia Friedman said the project offered an opportunity to bring Tarantino's storytelling to the theater.

"It is a joy and an honour to be developing this play with Quentin – and obviously quite an adventure. How lucky we are that one of the great storytellers of our time has chosen to make his theatrical debut. To see Quentin in action in a rehearsal room is extraordinary.

His delight in working with actors, fencers, acrobats, musicians and our creative team is infectious, and there is such pleasure in hearing his delicious language come alive and discovering what his world can become on stage. And now we have Sacha Baron Cohen at the heart of it all: a fearless, brilliantly inventive actor with the wit, mischief and daring this role demands. We feel immensely fortunate to be producing this show.

Audiences are in for a tremendous treat," Rothman and Friedman said.

Tarantino made his directorial debut with Reservoir Dogs in 1992 and later co-wrote, directed and starred in Pulp Fiction, which earned him an Academy Award for best screenplay. His subsequent films include Jackie Brown, Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, Death Proof, Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Across his career, Tarantino has won two Academy Awards, two Baftas and four Golden Globes. He has also received an Emmy nomination and five Grammy nominations, according to the source report.

Cohen has won two Baftas and three Golden Globes and has been nominated for three Academy Awards and six Emmys. He previously discussed plans for a major project that could occupy 18 months to two years of his life, depending on its success, including a potential tour.

"It is absolutely the next thing I'm going to do. We'll start the ball rolling on it in January. It's probably going to take up a year and a half to two years of my life, if it's a success, and I've got to do the tour version of it and all that.

I'm preparing for it to be a success. If it's a flop, I'll be done very quickly," Cohen said.