Audiences have less than a month left to witness Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa and Killing Eve’s Edward Bluemel in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s acclaimed West End premiere of Born With Teeth. The production, which imagines an electric meeting of minds between Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare, runs at Wyndham’s Theatre until 1 November.
Written by Liz Duffy Adams and directed by Daniel Evans (RSC Co-Artistic Director and two-time Olivier Award winner), Born With Teeth has been hailed as “a firecracker of a new play” (Financial Times) and “a theatrical firestorm” (Sunday Express). The chemistry between Gatwa’s impulsive, dangerous Marlowe and Bluemel’s ambitious, wide-eyed Shakespeare has drawn particular praise, with the Evening Standard calling the pair “a perfect duo in a seriously steamy cat-and-mouse game.”
Set in an era when art and politics could be deadly bedfellows, Adams’ witty and seductive two-hander reimagines a world where the young playwrights might have collaborated on the Henry VI plays. Marlowe, the “rockstar of Elizabethan theatre,” crosses paths with Shakespeare, a jobbing actor with rising literary ambitions—sparks fly, both creative and romantic.
The show boasts a creative team of award-winning talent: Joanna Scotcher (design), Neil Austin (lighting), George Dennis (sound), and Andrzej Goulding (video design), with movement by Ira Mandela Siobhan.
Presented by Playful Productions, the Royal Shakespeare Company, and Elizabeth Williams, Born With Teeth is part of a standout season marking Playful’s 15th anniversary. Over the past decade and a half, Playful has become a driving force in both West End and international theatre, producing major hits including The Unfriend, Good, and Get Up Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical.
With its mix of historical intrigue, queer subtext, and literary rivalry, Born With Teeth has become one of the year’s hottest tickets. But fans will need to act fast — its strictly limited season ends 1 November.
Tickets start at £25, with 2,000 tickets available for £10 for 16–25-year-olds, sponsored by TikTok.
🎭 Born With Teeth
By Liz Duffy Adams
Directed by Daniel Evans
Starring Ncuti Gatwa and Edward Bluemel
📍 Wyndham’s Theatre, Charing Cross Road, London
🗓️ Final performance: Saturday 1 November 2025
🎟️ delfontmackintosh.co.uk