Edward Bluemel says "We did not make Shakespeare queer" in new play

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The story centres around Marlowe and Shakespeare's suspected partnership in writing Henry VI parts one, two and three – Marlowe was credited as Shakespeare's co-writer by Oxford University Press in 2016.

Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com ahead of their West End run, Bluemel promised his Shakespeare would be "different to anything we've seen before".

He said: "There's no wig, I don't have the classic Shakespeare look. I think the whole point is that here's a contemporary feel to it and it's just two actors who are giving themselves to the characters. It feels modern."

Ncuti Gatwa and Edward Bluemel promotional image for Born With Teeth. Felicity McCabe (c) RSC

The Sex Education actor added that Shakespeare's "queerness, relationship and sexuality are hugely important" to the show.

"When the play was announced, there were still people that saying, 'why have you made Shakespeare gay?' we did not make Shakespeare queer.

"For me it's an ignorant read if you think if you think he wasn't, and Marlowe was the same. He was writing about queerness in the public eye way back in a way that was even more brazen than Shakespeare.

"Shakespeare sort of hid it throughout his work, but in his plays it's there. But Marlowe wrote Edward II, which is about a gay king. That would have been wildly controversial to write at the time and it was clear that these two men wanted to see that represented on stage, but in their own different ways. So that's one of the clashes in the play that makes them both different."

Bluemel continued: "To me, it feels really natural. It's a really important lens to look at these two men through, and I hope that people will see this play and want to go back to the boring things they learnt in school – you know like Twelfth Night for GCSE – and see all the incredible queer references."

When can I see Ncuti Gatwa in Born With Teeth?

Born With Teeth is running until 1st November 2025, with shows every Monday to Saturday.

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.