This summer, the heat is on at London’s Wyndham’s Theatre as Ncuti Gatwa and Edward Bluemel step into the boots of two of history’s most iconic literary figures in the exhilarating new play Born With Teeth, written by the acclaimed Liz Duffy Adams. A sharp, seductive, and suspense-laden two-hander, the play begins performances on 13 August for a strictly limited 11-week season - and it promises to be one of the theatrical highlights of the year.
Set in the bitter winter of 1591, Born With Teeth imagines an electrifying secret collaboration between a brash, subversive Christopher “Kit” Marlowe and a hungry, up-and-coming William Shakespeare. With Queen Elizabeth’s spies on every corner and the threat of the Tower looming over any whiff of sedition, the stakes are dangerously high.
The action unfolds in the backroom of a pub, where these two literary lions are forced into a tense creative union. Over the course of three secret meetings, they battle, banter, and bond - both sparring partners and possible soulmates. With only a table between them, it becomes their stage and battlefield as they sharpen their pens and let their genius fly, crafting art in an atmosphere charged with flirtation, fear, and fire.
As their words grow bolder, so do the risks. Surrounded by conspiracy and surveillance, they must navigate their growing connection under constant threat - both from external forces and from each other. In a world where every whispered phrase could be overheard and every glance could cost your life, their relationship becomes a dangerous game of trust and temptation.