Sparks fly as Ncuti Gatwa and Edward Bluemel star in “Born With Teeth” at Wyndham’s Theatre, Aug 13 – Nov 1, 2025, exploring Marlowe and Shakespeare’s darkly sexy bond.
In the grand tapestry of theatrical revivals, few announcements have sparked as much intrigue as the upcoming West End production of Born With Teeth. This summer, London’s Wyndham’s Theatre will play host to a dramatic face-off between two of history’s most legendary playwrights, Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare, brought to life by none other than Ncuti Gatwa and Edward Bluemel.
If you’re already feeling the electricity in the air, you’re not alone—this is the kind of casting that feels like a cultural event in the making, a collision of past and present that could ignite the stage in ways we haven’t seen since, well, the Elizabethan era itself.
Let’s start with the players. Ncuti Gatwa, the Rwandan-Scottish dynamo who’s been rewriting the rules of stardom, steps into the role of Christopher Marlowe. If you’ve caught his time-traveling swagger as the Fifteenth Doctor in Doctor Who—a performance that made him the first Black actor to wield the sonic screwdriver—you know Gatwa’s got a knack for turning icons into something vividly, thrillingly new.
Before that, he stole hearts (and a BAFTA) as Eric Effiong in Sex Education, a role that blended wit, vulnerability, and a punk-rock edge. His recent turn in the National Theatre’s The Importance of Being Earnest proved he’s no stranger to the stage, but playing Marlowe—a rebel poet with a rap sheet and a penchant for danger—feels like Gatwa’s chance to flex his full range. This isn’t just casting; it’s a match made in theatrical heaven.
Then there’s Edward Bluemel, who’s been quietly building a career that’s equal parts versatile and magnetic. You might know him as the steely-eyed Hugo Swann in A Discovery of Witches or the conflicted Sean in Killing Eve. Oh, and yes, he crossed paths with Gatwa in Sex Education, where he played the perpetually smoldering Maeve’s brother.
Now, as William Shakespeare, Bluemel gets to tackle the Bard before he was the Bard—a young, hungry writer clawing his way up in a cutthroat world. “To be stepping into the shoes of a young William Shakespeare is a huge thrill for any actor,” Bluemel said in a statement to Variety, “and I can’t wait to get started.” With his brooding charisma, he’s the perfect foil to Gatwa’s firebrand Marlowe.
The play itself, Born With Teeth, is the brainchild of Liz Duffy Adams, and it’s being billed as a “ferociously sexy” dive into the relationship between these two literary titans. Set in 1591, it imagines Marlowe and Shakespeare not just as contemporaries but as collaborators, rivals, and maybe something more, all against the backdrop of a politically volatile England.
It’s a dark, seductive premise that promises to strip away the dusty reverence we often heap on these figures and replace it with something raw and immediate. “This is like no version of Shakespeare and Marlowe that I’ve ever seen before,” Gatwa told Variety, “and I can’t wait for audiences to join us for the ride.” If that doesn’t pique your curiosity, check your pulse.
Behind the curtain is director Daniel Evans, co-artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, who knows a thing or two about breathing life into ambitious works. He’s framing this as more than just a historical romp—it’s a chance to explore the “perilous political and religious climate” these writers navigated. “We’re delighted to have two incredibly charismatic actors,” Evans said, “and we’re enjoying exploring the perilous political and religious climate which these two writers had to navigate.” With Gatwa and Bluemel at the helm, expect a production that’s as sharp as a dagger and twice as alluring.
The logistics? Born With Teeth marks its European premiere at Wyndham’s Theatre, running for a tight 11-week season from August 13 to November 1, 2025. Tickets go on sale April 16, with priority booking kicking off April 11. Given the buzz around this cast and the RSC’s pedigree, don’t dawdle—these seats will vanish faster than a soliloquy in a storm.
What makes this production sing, though, isn’t just the star power or the historical hook. It’s the audacity of the question at its core: What if Marlowe and Shakespeare were more than just names in a textbook? What if their rivalry—or their bond—fueled the creative furnace that gave us Hamlet and Doctor Faustus? In an age where we’re obsessed with origin stories, Born With Teeth feels like a deliciously subversive take on two of literature’s biggest rock stars.
And with Gatwa and Bluemel bringing their Sex Education-honed chemistry to the stage, the result could be a theatrical knockout—part history lesson, part love letter to the messy, beautiful chaos of art.
So, mark your calendars and brace yourself for a West End showdown that’s as smart as it is sultry. Born With Teeth isn’t just a play—it’s a spark waiting to catch fire, a chance to see two of today’s brightest talents wrestle with the ghosts of genius. If the hype holds true, this could be the kind of night at the theater that leaves you buzzing long after the curtain falls.
