19th Play - Born with Teeth by Liz Duffy Adams

From the title, this play sounded scary - like some sort of Appalachian eldritch horror play. I was afraid to read it. But it was NOTHING like I thought it would be. Instead we got sexy, probably-queer Marlowe and Shakespeare matching wits in a two-hander? Yes, please!

Summary: “An aging ruler, an oppressive police state, a restless polarized people seething with paranoia: it’s a dangerous time for poets. Two of them—the great Kit Marlowe and the up-and-comer Will Shakespeare—meet in the back room of a pub to collaborate on a history play cycle, navigate the perils of art under a totalitarian regime, and flirt like young men with everything to lose.” Playwright’s website

Laura’s thoughts in brief: Not sure if this play is for everyone, but as someone who gets a lot of the Elizabethan playwright jokes, and have just finished a run of TITUS ANDRONICUS (called by Kit in this play “Titus I-vomit-thus” - hysterical!), I enjoyed it thoroughly. I loved “getting to know” these two writers more intimately, and loved the ways that they collaborated (at least as this play suggests, although I believe that is based on recently discovered evidence), and especially the sexual tension between them. Sharp witty writers speaking beautiful, sharp and witty words? Why not? One of the things I walked away more thoroughly with was the omnipresent danger of that time. Lots of people getting put to death for being the wrong religion, for talking to the wrong people, for writing the wrong things … Will’s opening monologue reminds us of Germany in the late 30s, and we realize that England in the late 16th century is, similarly, a totalitarian state. “We aren’t citizens, we’re subjects.” A little chilling in the wanna-be authoritarian state we’re in currently - at first I wondered if this play was written as a warning. But the playwright is really more concerned about the relationship between these two amazing and famous wordsmiths, and that is definitely a story (however made up it is) worth telling. Kit attempts to recruit Will for spywork. Will remarks, “I just want to write,” and Kit responds, “Who doesn’t, but not enough money in the theater, not nearly.” Sigh, sad but true. Although I don’t know many in the theater who have turned to spying for their day jobs, but time will tell, won’t it? It takes a good playwright to put words in the mouth of two of the greatest poets in history - words that we believe would come out of their mouths. “I don’t deny God, I just don’t like him very much. It’s all cant and hypocrisy, our church, nothing more sacred than a pack of old men and one old woman’s lust for power. Am I to prostrate myself before that? No, if they are God’s voice I have nothing to say to God.” That line is wonderfully historical and also supremely resonant today as well. The play is quite clever and violently romantic - that’s the best way I can put it. Two-handers are talky and this play is that, but there’s a lot of action in the talk. I was never bored in the least. With the right actors, watching this play would be potentially sizzling; with the wrong actors, snooze. Is it wrong that I want to cast two women? Hmmmm ….

READ MORE! Here’s what others had to say about productions:

https://playoffthepage.com/2023/03/review-of-born-with-teeth-at-the-guthrie-theater/

https://www.austinchronicle.com/arts/2024-04-12/theatre-review-born-with-teeth/

https://batcitystagereviews.com/born-with-teeth-at-austin-playhouse/

If you can make it to London, it’s showing now:

https://maryamphilpottblog.wordpress.com/2025/08/18/born-with-teeth-wyndhams-theatre/