Born With Teeth, at Wyndham’s Theatre, is a sparkling theatrical duel where William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe face off pen to pen. Directed by Daniel Evans for the Royal Shakespeare Company, this one-on-one duel lasting 90 minutes thrusts Ncuti Gatwa (Kit) and Edward Bluemel (Will) into a deliciously dangerous battle of wits, at the heart of a watchful, ultra-sensitive to betrayal Elizabethan England. A brief, sharp, beautifully acted show, and one of the best of the year, to see before its series finale.
The playwright Liz Duffy Adams starts with an irresistible question: what if Shakespeare didn’t work alone? In a tavern back room where each line carries the scent of hops and suspicion, she imagines a meticulous collaboration between Shakespeare and Marlowe surrounding the plays Henry VI. The result? A biting comedy of ideas, a miniature tragedy that vibrates, and a political thriller that snickers under its breath.
A razor-close face-off: Shakespeare and Marlowe
Here, words are swords. Ncuti Gatwa carves a feline, charming, sometimes venomous Marlowe; Edward Bluemel balances with a cunning, half-angel half-fox Shakespeare. Their chemistry sparks: revelations drip-fed, entrapments disguised as confidences, slights drawn like sonnets. We often laugh, sometimes tremble, and always believe in this duel of talents that attract as much as they fear each other.
Two actors, 90 minutes, no escape
The bet of the two-hander is total: the actors remain almost constantly on stage for 90 minutes. Without a net or fluff, each silence becomes a subtext, each aside a masterstroke. The briskness of exchanges — chiselled, mischievous, sometimes acerbic — never sacrifices clarity. One leaves with the impression of having witnessed a top-tier match, Renaissance style.
In the shadow of Queen Elizabeth I: intrigues and laws
The play breathes the dense air of late Tudor England: ultra-ferocious treason laws, surveillance everywhere, threats from abroad. Politics, society, and desire slip between the pages like spies in black capes. This palpable period tension, without heaviness, gives the words the sharpness of a blade.
The pen of Liz Duffy Adams and the hand of Daniel Evans
Liz Duffy Adams wields the language with the elegance of a duel in the sun: the dialogue is quick, referenced, accessible, and sparkling with implications. The direction by Daniel Evans weaves precision, rhythm, and breath, leaving the actors space to dance with the text. We savor an assumed simplicity that lets literature, intelligence, and performance speak.
What the play challenges: co-authorship and myths
What if the icon Shakespeare was nourished by the meteor Marlowe — and vice versa? The play doesn’t provide a clear answer: it plays, questions, disrupts. The setting — a pub back room where Henry VI is scrawled between furtive glances over the shoulder — becomes the laboratory for a bold idea: art as dangerous complicity, the author as a collective creature.
A word on the reception and the “best of the year” moment
It’s hard not to join the chorus of voices that rank Born With Teeth among the best productions of the year. It’s sharp, popular in the best sense of the term, and sufficiently cheeky to tease purists. We delight in it like a fine wine: first for the bouquet, then for the lingering taste.
Practical information
Location: Wyndham’s Theatre, Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0DA.
Period: limited run, until Saturday, November 1, 2025.
Times: Monday to Saturday at 7:30 PM; Wednesday and Saturday at 2:30 PM.
Accessibility: audio-described performance on Saturday, September 20, 2025 at 2:30 PM; captioned performance on Saturday, October 4, 2025 at 2:30 PM.
Box office: starting at £25; 2,000 tickets at £10 for ages 16–25 (sponsored initiative by TikTok). Online reservations: delfontmackintosh.co.uk.
To extend the evening
Looking for more cultural and culinary stops after the theatre? Take a trip to Bristol with this characterful review of Townhouse Hort: read the review. For a meal, head towards pocket Italy with the Carlotta restaurant: discover the restaurant.
Prefer inspired nights? This piece on a summer night awaits you: explore it here. For a grand traveler’s leap, let yourself be surprised by the Tbilisi Telegraph Hotel: our review. And if Europe sometimes seems tense with its visitors, this insight into how some Europeans perceive tourists fuels the debate: learn more.
