First look at Ncuti Gatwa and Edward Bluemel in 'ferociously sexy' new play Born With Teeth

The first images of Ncuti Gatwa and Edward Bluemel in rehearsal for Born With Teeth are in — and the chemistry between the two stars looks electric.

This new play from Liz Duffy Adams imagines the relationship between legendary playwrights Christopher Marlowe, played by Gatwa, and a young William Shakespeare, played by Bluemel.

Gatwa teased that he “can’t wait for audiences to join us for the ride” when the show opens on London’s West End in August. The European premiere promises a queer reading of “Kit” Marlowe and “Will” Shakespeare’s rivalry, with plenty of flirting and literary banter.

Ncuti Gatwa in Born With Teeth rehearsals (Johan Persson)

“Liz Duffy Adams has written an exceptional play that is smart, dark, sexy, sharp and funny,” said Gatwa. “There’s a lot to get one’s teeth into. This is like no version of Shakespeare and Marlowe that I’ve ever seen before.”

Shots of Gatwa as Kit show him rocking an Elizabethan-style doublet as he strikes a pose and gets up close and personal with Bluemel’s Will. The 32-year-old actor recently said he felt “too old” to play Doctor Who and quit because his “body was tired”. But those ballet sessions have clearly paid off as Gatwa can be seen leaping from a table in kneepads and Crocs.

Gatwa plays Kit and Bluemel is Will (Johan Persson)

Bluemel can be seen with Shakespeare’s signature single earring brandishing a quill. He’s got form playing a period piece hunk from his role as love interest Lord Guildford Dudle in Amazon Prime’s My Lady Jane.

“To be stepping into the shoes of a young William Shakespeare is a huge thrill for any actor and I can’t wait to get started,” said Bluemel. “When I read Liz Duffy Adams’ script, I was instantly drawn into the high-stakes world of these two rival playwrights and the incredible, creative chemistry they share.”

Gatwa leaps in kneepads, Crocs and an Elizabethan doublet (Johan Persson)

Daniel Evans, a two-time Olivier Award winner, is directing the production, with Playful Productions, Royal Shakespeare Company, and Elizabeth Williams as producers. Williams described Duffy’s play as “brilliant in conception and ferociously sexy”.

Born with Teeth is set in 1591, a tumultuous time in Elizabeth I reign where internal dissent jostled with foreign affairs. Marlowe, already established as the rockstar playwright of his day may also have juggled his theatrical career with, as some historians believe, spying for the Queen.

The play promises to explore a steamy side of their relationship (Johan Persson)

Shakespeare, still establishing his career as a playwright, was working on his play Henry VI. The play imagines how the pair may have collaborated on the work, as Marlowe is sometimes credited as a co-author.

The play takes its title from a line from Henry V Part 3 — “O, Jesus bless us, he is born with teeth!'. It had its American premiere in 2022 at the Alley Theatre in Houston, with Dylan Godwin as Will and Matthew Amendt as Kit.

Born With Teeth will be at London’s Wyndham’s Theatre for just 11 weeks, with preview performances from 13 August.