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.