First look at Ncuti Gatwa in queer Shakespeare play Born With Teeth
Ncuti Gatwa is set to appear in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Born With Teeth. (Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)
Ncuti Gatwa is set to appear in the Royal Shakespeare Company's Born With Teeth. (Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)
Ncuti Gatwa is swapping out the Tardis for the West End in the play Born With Teeth, which imagines a queer relationship between playwrights Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare.
The Royal Shakespeare Company, which is at the helm of the Daniel Evans-directed play, posted several images of the Doctor Who star in rehearsals with his co-stars on its website and Instagram.
In one image, Gatwa was captured embracing Edward Bluemel (Killing Eve) as characters Marlowe and Shakespeare, respectively. Another sees the pair facing off in what appears to be a heated disagreement.
On Tuesday (29 July), the official Instagram account for the play gave a further look into the rehearsal studio with a Reel, showing props, costumes, and stage blocking. “From the birthplace of Shakespeare, to the heart of London theatre,” the caption read.
Although Gatwa has credits in TV and film big-hitters, including Sex Education and the Barbie movie, his upcoming 11-week run at Wyndham’s Theatre, London, marks a full-circle moment for the actor. One of his first major roles was Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2016, which was performed live from the Globe Theatre, as per IMDb.
Liz Duffy Adams’ adaptation imagines a queer-coded relationship between the pair as literary icons during the Elizabethan era. The Royal Shakespeare Company describes the pair in the logline: “Christopher Marlowe: rockstar of Elizabethan theatre, scandalous spy for the Crown – danger and seduction combined.
“William Shakespeare: jobbing actor, promising young playwright – dazzled by Marlowe, with ambitions of his own.”
It continues: “Based on the idea that these two literary icons may have collaborated on the Henry VI history plays, Liz Duffy Adams’ Born With Teeth is a playful and daring imagining of their relationship during an extraordinarily dangerous time for artists.”
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s Born With Teeth is set to premiere on 13 August at Wyndham’s Theatre, West End. You can buy tickets for the production here.
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