About the Show

Ncuti Gatwa & Edward Bluemel clash as Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare in this dramatic two-hander.

Winter, 1591. England seethes with paranoia, plots, and peril—and in a cramped pub backroom, two of its greatest literary minds are about to collide. Forced into collaboration by circumstance, Christopher "Kit" Marlowe and a young William Shakespeare engage in a series of secret meetings that blur the lines between rivalry, flirtation, and betrayal. With spies lurking in every shadow and their lives hanging by a thread, every word becomes a weapon.

Making its West End premiere at the Wyndham’s Theatre, Born With Teeth, which won the Edgerton Foundation New Play Award in 2021, is written by American playwright Liz Duffy Adams. It imagines the volatile relationship between two towering talents at odds with their era—and each other. Directed by RSC Co-Artistic Director Daniel Evans, this tense, witty, and erotically charged two-hander stars Ncuti Gatwa (The Importance of Being Earnest) as Christopher Marlowe and Edward Bluemel (Killing Eve, My Lady Jane) as William Shakespeare.

Set across three charged encounters with two of the most prolific writers in the Elizabethan era, Born With Teeth explores creation, ambition, loyalty, and survival in an age where a misplaced word could be a death sentence.

Critic Reviews (10)

“But this is an accessible romp that honours Shakespeare’s populist spirit, jubilantly reclaims queer history, and explores a literary mystery that continues to fascinate.”
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“Born with Teeth is a lot of fun: two charismatic actors having a ball pinging off each other while chomping down on a script that spikes the trashiness with some genuine wit.”
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"While all of this should, in theory, matter hugely, the evening leaves us with an inevitable tang of “So what?”. It’s diverting enough, but ultimately toothless."
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“But it is the acting that holds you. Gatwa is electricfying as Marlowe, all flashing wit and sexy swagger… As Shakespeare, Bluemel is surprisingly endearing…Their efforts blow away a certain dryness…and fill the evening with rich life.”
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“But the way Duffy’s script entwines the vicissitudes of sex, celebrity and Elizabethan politics is enormous fun. And as star vehicles go, Evan’s production is a smart and subtle one.”
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“It’s all incredibly enjoyable. But what he doesn’t do is bare his soul, or show the inner torment of a man so obsessed with power and political intrigue that he’ll sacrifice everything else, even his happiness.”
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“Even at a modest running time of an hour and a half with no interval, the play — premiered in the US in 2022 and now retooled for the West End — has the air of an ingenious revue sketch stretched to outsize proportions.”
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“Duffy Adams’ touch is featherlight, and the play is undemanding fun with just a whiff of pretension.”
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