We round up the reviews for Liz Duffy Adams’ play, running in the West End until the 1st November.
The Guardian: *** “An intelligent slice of historical fiction that offers muscular performances and reminds us to lavish more attention on the other great Elizabethan playwright, Born With Teeth yearns for a sharper bite.”
The Reviews Hub: **** 1/2 “The RSC’s Daniel Evans directs with verve, especially in his use of digital screens between scenes, and Joanna Scotcher’s set of light bulbs is chillingly effective, even if it does look a little like the inside of Ncuti’s old TARDIS. Scotcher’s costumes, however, are delicious.”
The Independent: *** “Liz Duffy Adams’ Tudor fan fiction stars Gatwa and Edward Bluemel as rivals Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare – it’s just a shame it didn’t dig deeper.”
The FT: **** ” Bluemel’s Shakespeare starts out gauche, sincere and in awe of his glamorous co-writer. Yet even at the outset there’s a steely centre to him, and as time wears on his elusiveness becomes tinged with something more troubling. Gatwa’s Marlowe, meanwhile, is superb — a hypnotic presence twirling a ridiculously camp quill, devouring the space and at one point leaping, panther-like, from the table. But he too shifts with time, and we glimpse loneliness, vulnerability — even fear — beneath the defiance. And the erotic charge between them develops into something more tender, coupled with mutual devotion to an art form that can slyly outwit mortality.”
WhatsOnStage: *** “But it is the acting that holds you. Gatwa is electricfying as Marlowe, all flashing wit and sexy swagger that he always manages to suggest is hiding not only a passion for a double life but a terror that it might all vanish. As Shakespeare, Bluemel is surprisingly endearing, suppressing smiles like a schoolboy, all nerves and anxiety on the outside, but with a calm, enduring centre. It’s a performance full of grace and charm.”
Time Out: *** “None of this should detract from the fact that Born with Teeth is a lot of fun: two charismatic actors having a ball pinging off each other while chomping down on a script that spikes the trashiness with some genuine wit. It’s diverting – just don’t go expecting Shakespeare.”
All That Dazzles: *** “There is nothing wrong with Born With Teeth as a play, per se. It is a perfectly fine piece of theatre. However, the writing felt like it wasn’t in its finished form – perhaps it is the equivalent of baby teeth that could be outgrown and replaced by something bigger, sturdier, and more permanent (nasty accidents permitting). There is still much to enjoy about a trip to this play, notably the two sensational performances – though sadly what could have been an incredibly strong play suffers from a lack of bite, making it hard to swallow at times.”
The Standard: **** “Bluemel is an engaging Will, wary and diffident, almost petulant at times in his resistance to Kit’s outrageousness. But it’s Gatwa’s show. He has grown in theatrical stature since his entertaining but effortful Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest at the National Theatre last year and exudes charisma as he prowls the stage like a lazy but lethal big cat.”
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