Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa will be rivals with Killing Eve star and former Sex Education co-star Edward Bluemel in the new play Born with Teeth by the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Viewers will see Ncuti Gatwa take on the role of acclaimed playwright Christopher Marlowe, while Edward Bluemel will play William Shakespeare himself. Written by Liz Duffy Adams and directed by Daniel Evans, the play is said to explore the writers’ “barely-suppressed sexual and creative chemistry”.
Born with Teeth is set in 1591 England. The story follows William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe as they meet in the back room of a pub to collaborate on a play together. The two talented writers go on to face the perils of art under a totalitarian regime, heightened paranoia, and the inability to keep their eyes off of one another.
The play originally premiered at the Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas, in the summer of 2022. It would go on to move to different theatres across the US, appearing in Minnesota, Florida, Oregon, and California between 2023 and 2024. Its UK premiere will feature a revised version of the play, so if you have seen it before, you can have a reason to see it again.
Both actors are excited to see this play come to life, with Ncuti Gatwa saying, “This is like no version of Shakespeare and Marlowe that I’ve ever seen before, and I can’t wait for audiences to join us for the ride”.
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Edward Bluemel added, “There’s a real freshness and vitality to Liz’s writing that speaks directly to our world, and I’m looking forward to West End audiences experiencing it for the first time”.
Ticket sales will begin on April 16 via the Delfont Mackintosh Theatres website. The play will then run a strict 11-week season from August 13 to November 1 of this year.
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