Born With Teeth – Wyndham’s Theatre, London
One particular magnetic performance overcomes limitations in the writing in Born With Teeth. And it might not be the Elizabethan playwright you’d first think of.
Born With Teeth
One thing’s for sure: Ncuti Gatwa has charisma in spades. His Kit Marlowe is confident, flirty, and absolutely mesmerising. Having not seen any of his high profile TV shows, I now see what the fuss is about! But this isn’t a Ncuti Gatwa review, but rather a review of Born With Teeth, an RSC transfer on at Wyndham’s Theatre. Written by Liz Duffy Adams, this new work (or new-ish – 2021) leans heavily into the myth and mystery about two of the Elizabethan era’s most famous playwrights: Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare.
The structure of the play is simple, as good plays often are. It’s a two hander. Gatwa, as we’ve established, plays Christopher (Kit) Marlowe. Edward Bluemel plays Shakespeare. We follow them through a series of interactions as they write lines together, talk dangerous politics, and succumb to their mutual attraction. Even just those few activities allow Adams to explore some of the multitude of theories about the writers. Which of their plays were co-written, and with whom? Were either of them spies? Did they have any unorthodox religious beliefs? What was their sexuality? Both the lack of verifiable historic record and the huge volume of scholarship in this area have resulted in this mysterious world of myth and rumour. A perfect set up for a play that takes place entirely behind closed doors.
The set design (Joanna Scotcher) contributes to the play’s ambiguity. Between scenes, screens come down and enclose the entire set, apart from a small opening through which Shakespeare appears to interact with the audience. Large-scale projections (Andrzej Goulding) of the actors’ faces show tortured expressions. But did it happen, or did it not? Did it happen like this? Questions the play asks but, wisely, doesn’t always answer. Or leaves room for doubt, in any case. After all, history is written by the victors, isn’t it? And is the victor in this case the most famous playwright who exists, or the one who ended his days in a brawl in a pub in Deptford? Unless… that isn’t how it happened?
There’s a Lot to Like Here
As much as I enjoyed the curious poking around in Elizabethan history, I did find myself wondering what we were meant to take away from Born With Teeth. We’ve established there are no clear answers to the questions raised, so it’s not that. Is it a love story? Perhaps. Should we take Shakespeare down from his pedestal, at least a little? Probably. It felt like the writing ran out of steam a little towards the end, so perhaps Adams didn’t have ultimate clarity on the play’s purpose either.
The cat and mouse dynamic does, however, give Gatwa a chance to shine. Bluemel, as Shakespeare, largely holds his own. But the character, at least in this production, seems to exist largely as a foil to the big personality that is Marlowe. As a result, Shakespeare comes across as a bit of a non-entity. Until he doesn’t. I wonder what the right dramaturg could have done with these very promising building blocks?
I did very much enjoy the experience of watching Born With Teeth. It made me think. I was converted into a Ncuti Gatwa fan. The design, with its historic props and costumes and bold wall of lighting (Neil Austin), is superb. There’s a lot to like, here.
Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 4/5
Born With Teeth on until 1 November 2025