Ncuti Gatwa & Edward Bluemel cast in new play about Shakespeare and Marlowe’s rivalry

Ncuti Gatwa (Doctor Who, Sex Education, Barbie) and Edward Bluemel (My Lady Jane, Killing Eve, Sex Education) are set to star in a new play that explores the rivalry between the Stratford-Upon-Avon born Bard, William Shakespeare, and fellow playwright Christopher (Kit) Marlowe. Liz Duffy Adams’ Born With Teeth is a production presented by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), Playful Productions and Elizabeth Williams which will make its West End premiere this summer.

The RSC’s Co-Artistic Director, Daniel Evans – who recently starred in Christopher Marlowe’s play, Edward II playing at the Swan Theatre – will direct Ncuti and Edward in this “thrilling imagining of the relationship between two literary icons at odds with their time… as the poets who square off in a game of wits, words, and powerplay.”

Ncuti Gatwa explains: "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."

The synopsis of the play takes audiences to: “Winter 1591. It is a dangerous time for artists: the country is full of conspiracy and paranoia. In the backroom of a pub, writing sensations Kit Marlowe and Will Shakespeare are forced together in a creative union. Alone, with the table as their stage and battlefield, they sharpen their pens – and let their genius fly. Across three secret meetings, the rivals duel and flirt like their lives depend on it – and with spies everywhere, betrayal is so tempting.”

“There’s a real freshness and vitality to Liz’s writing that speaks directly to our world, and I’m looking forward to West End audiences experiencing it for the first time,” added Edward Bluemel.

Performances begin 13th August for a strictly limited 11-week season at London’s Wyndham’s Theatre. General Booking opens 16th April.