Born With Teeth: Marlowe vs Shakespeare at Wyndham’s

Born With Teeth | Wyndham’s Theatre, London – until 1 November

This rumbustious two-hander, the UK premiere of Liz Duffy Adams’s play, imagines Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare holed up in a bright, bulb-lit country inn as they bicker, flirt and collaborate on Henry VI. Daniel Evans directs this Royal Shakespeare Company co-production, starring Ncuti Gatwa as Marlowe and Edward Bluemel as Shakespeare. Designer Joanna Scotcher dresses them in Elizabethan garb with modern rock-and-roll flair, while Neil Austin’s garish lighting builds a cage of blinder bulbs around the pair.

Adams has crafted a razor-sharp, highly theatrical script. It crackles with witty repartee and anachronistic asides, tossing in snogging, leather codpieces and a dash of espionage alongside its literary banter.

Gatwa’s Marlowe is boisterous and swaggering – a panting, shirtless imp who lunges at Shakespeare with equal parts lust and mischief. It is a very physical and athletic performance. Bluemel’s Will starts out scruffy and self-deprecating, growing more assured (and more wary of his rival’s bluster) as they go. Their scenes fizz with boyish one-upmanship: when Shakespeare grumbles they’re the same age, Marlowe quips, “Not in stage years!” There are genuine laughs in these sparring sessions, and the chemistry is undeniable.

We get to see the contrast between the approaches of the two writers – Marlowe wants to put himself in the play, whereas Shakespeare wants to disappear into the characters. Between all this, there’s a fair amount of mano a mano action, which I believe is the imagination of Adams.

Most historians believe that Marlowe was gay, although there is no evidence that William Shakespeare was. However, if it is your desire to go to the theatre to see a previous Doctor Who get his shirt off and jump around in tight-fitting leather outfits and snog Shakespeare, you are going to have a really good time!

However, for historians, there are slimmer pickings – there is now a growing belief that Shakespeare and Marlowe did collaborate on Henry VI Parts Two and Three – the title coming from a quote from Part 3, “Oh Jesus bless us, he’s born with teeth” – in reference to Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who would later become Richard III.

There are also frequent references to other figures of the time: Queen Elizabeth I, Robert Cecil, Robert Dudley, and Sir Walter Raleigh. Mind you, none of this is really explored in the play – if you know who they are, it may give extra depth, but they aren’t really explained in the play, nor are we told what play they’re working on.

Yet that, to an extent, is immaterial, as this is in essence a star vehicle for two excellent performances. Just don’t look under the bonnet of this star vehicle because there isn’t a great deal there, I think.

Verdict: Cleverly witty and frequently sexy, but ultimately a piece of literary fan fiction.

Follow us on:

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest videos and updates!

We value your thoughts! Share your feedback and help us make EyeOnLondon even better!