Ncuti Gatwa and Edward Bluemel to star in queer-coded Shakespeare-inspired play Born With Teeth
Gatwa and Bluemel will play two iconic playwrights with a "barely-suppressed sexual and creative chemistry"
By Gary Grimes
Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa is set to star opposite Killing Eve actor Edward Bluemel in a new play by the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Gatwa will play the acclaimed poet and playwright Christopher Marlowe, whilst Bluemel will be playing Shakespeare himself. The play, entitled Born With Teeth, is said to explore the writers’ “barely-suppressed sexual and creative chemistry”.
The actors have both previously appeared in the hit Netflix show Sex Education.
Written by Liz Duffy Adams, Born With Teeth is set at the height of both writers’ power and fame, when they find themselves “forced together to collaborate on a new play, against a backdrop of espionage, religious persecution and paranoia,” according to the play’s official description.
“Across three secret meetings, the rival poets duel and flirt like young men with everything to lose. And with spies everywhere, betrayal comes knocking at the door,” it goes on.
The play is directed by Daniel Evans, who is also the co-artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company and an actor in his own right – in fact, he has just completed a turn playing Edward II in a play written by Marlowe which was first performed in 1592.
“I’m so excited to be joining Born With Teeth alongside the amazing Edward Bluemel. Liz Duffy Adams has written an exceptional play that is smart, dark, sexy, sharp and funny,” Gatwa commented on the production. “There’s a lot to get one’s teeth into. 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”.
Edward Bluemel said: “I feel incredibly proud and excited to be working with Ncuti Gatwa and Daniel Evans on the European premiere of Born With Teeth. To be stepping into the shoes of a young William Shakespeare is a huge thrill for any actor and I can’t wait to get started.
“When I read Liz Duffy Adams’ script, I was instantly drawn into the high-stakes world of these two rival playwrights and the incredible, creative chemistry they share,” Bluemel continued. “There’s a real freshness and vitality to Liz’s writing that speaks directly to our world, and I can’t wait for West End audiences to experience it for the first time.”
Born With Teeth will play at Wyndham’s Theatre from 13 August through 1 November. Tickets go on sale on Wednesday 16 April, with priority booking from Friday 11 April here.