Born With Teeth, at Wyndham’s Theatre, is a dazzling theatrical duel where William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe face off pen to pen. Directed by Daniel Evans for the Royal Shakespeare Company, this 90-minute one-on-one propels Ncuti Gatwa (Kit) and Edward Bluemel (Will) into a delightfully dangerous battle of wits, at the heart of a watched and hyper-sensitive Elizabethan England. A brief, sharp, beautifully performed show, and one of the best of the year, to see before its run ends.
Playwright Liz Duffy Adams starts from an irresistible question: what if Shakespeare didn’t work alone? In a back room of a tavern where every line smells of hops and suspicion, she imagines a razor-sharp collaboration between Shakespeare and Marlowe around the plays Henry VI. The result? A biting comedy of ideas, a miniature tragedy that vibrates, and a political thriller that laughs behind its sleeve.
A razor-edge face-off: Shakespeare and Marlowe
Here, words are swords. Ncuti Gatwa shapes a feline, charming, sometimes venomous Marlowe; Edward Bluemel counters with a strategic, half-angel half-fox Shakespeare. Their chemistry sparks: revelations drip, trapped confidences, insults drawn like sonnets. We laugh often, shudder sometimes, and always believe in this duel of talents that attract as much as they fear each other.
Two actors, 90 minutes, zero escape
The bet of the two-hander is total: the actors remain almost non-stop on stage for 90 minutes. Without a net or fluff, each silence becomes a subtext, each aside a masterpiece. The pace of exchanges — chiselled, mischievous, sometimes acidic — never sacrifices clarity. We exit 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 cloaks. This palpable period tension gives the verb the relief of a sharpened blade.
The pen of Liz Duffy Adams and the hand of Daniel Evans
Liz Duffy Adams wields language with the elegance of a duel in the sun: the line is lively, referenced, accessible, and sparkling with implications. Daniel Evans‘s direction weaves precision, rhythm, and breath, allowing actors the space to dance with the text. We savor an assumed simplicity that lets literature, intelligence, and performance speak.
What the play disrupts: co-writing and myths
What if the icon Shakespeare fed off the meteor Marlowe — and vice versa? The play does not cut: it plays, questions, jests. The setting — a pub’s back room where Henry VI is jotted down between furtive glances — becomes the laboratory of 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 choir of voices that rank this Born With Teeth among the best productions of the year. It’s sharp, popular in the best sense, and sufficiently mischievous to tease purists. One savors it like good wine: first for the bouquet, then for the long finish.
Practical information
Location: Wyndham’s Theatre, Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0DA.
Duration: short run, until Saturday, November 1, 2025.
Timings: 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; supertitled performance on Saturday, October 4, 2025 at 2:30 PM.
Box office: from £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 theater? Head to Bristol with this character-filled review of Townhouse Hort: read the review. For dining, head to pocket Italy with restaurant Carlotta: discover the table.
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