Born With Teeth review: Ncuti Gatwa takes a lightning bolt to Tudor history
Ncuti Gatwa is back on stage with the Shakespearean-esque drama Born With Teeth.
Shakespearean tradition gets an electrifying awakening in the West End's Born With Teeth, now showing for a limited run at Wyndham's Theatre.
Starring Doctor Who's own Ncuti Gatwa and Edward Bluemel – best known for the Amazon Prime series My Lady Jane – this pseudo-Renaissance drama flips the lid on a much mythologised period of history to reveal something far darker lurking beneath.
Liz Duffy's two-man show banishes the sanitised and idolised versions of Tudor history, opting instead for a world of sex, scandal and spying; a world where art and politics are just as dangerously wrapped around each other as they are today.
Gatwa plays Christopher "Kit" Marlowe, the playwright behind texts you may remember from GSCE like Dr Faustus and Tamburlaine, while Bluemel plays Will Shakespeare.
The pair are called up to work together on Henry VI and become distracted by their own intense battle of rivalry and flirtation.
As you can expect, Gatwa is excellent as Marlowe. The former Time Lord prowls the stage like a caged tiger, teasing, toying and threatening Will with his real-life connections to Queen Elizabeth's spy network.
His dangerous magnetism is like a tangible force on stage, and yet comes with a noticeable undercurrent of frustration, as we all know it is Shakespeare, and not Marlowe, who stood the test of time.
Meanwhile, Bluemel is just as strong, appearing the timid tabby cat at times who simply wants to write and protect his little world. His light and shade comes out in more subtle hues than Marlowe's bold strokes, but both compliment each other perfectly.
Their chemistry is solid, but sometimes too much of an emphasis was placed on the laughs and comedic moments instead of the big swings of passion or violence. This meant some of the tenser moments fell a little flat as they were so quickly undercut by quips.
This occasional hollowness was also not helped by the lack of music and set design. The action was set in front a wall of bright stage lights with just a few chairs and period-ish tables in the middle to set the scene. While I can see the benefit of combining historical scenery with a modern minimalist background – almost to lift the piece out of time – the atmosphere felt thin and incomplete.
However, for fans of Tudor history, Shakespeare or enemies-to-lovers plots, I fail to see how Born With Teeth would disappoint. It brings a much-needed flash of colour and newness to a time many would consider stodgy and wilted, and ultimately reminding us that Renaissance London was in fact, a very dangerous place to be.
Where can I see Ncuti Gatwa in Born With Teeth?
You can catch Born With Teeth at Wyndham's Theatre, right in the heart of London's West End. To get there, your best bet is heading to Leicester Square on the Northern or Piccadilly Lines.
How to get Born With Teeth tickets
Tickets are available on LOVE Theatre and London Theatre Direct starting from £27.
For more things to do in the UK capital, check out the best West End shows and the best immersive experiences in London.
Authors
