NCUTI GATWA as Christopher Marlowe.

EDWARD BLUEMEL as William Shakespeare.

In these dangerous times, who will burn brightest — and who will burn out?

Winter 1591.

It is a dangerous time for artists: the country is full of conspiracy and paranoia.

In the backroom of a pub, writing sensations Kit Marlowe and Will Shakespeare are forced together in a creative union. Alone, with the table as their stage and battlefield, they sharpen their pens – and let their genius fly.

Across three secret meetings, the rivals duel and flirt like their lives depend on it – and with spies everywhere, betrayal is so tempting.

Marking its West End premiere this summer, Liz Duffy Adams’ Born With Teeth is a thrilling imagining of the relationship between two literary icons at odds with their time.

RSC Co-Artistic Director Daniel Evans directs Ncuti Gatwa (Doctor Who, Sex Education) and Edward Bluemel (Killing Eve, My Lady Jane) as the poets who square off in a game of wits, words, and powerplay.

Performances begin 13 August for a strictly limited 11-week season at London’s Wyndham’s Theatre.