Marlowe’s mad and Shakespeare’s sad in Austin Playhouse production
If you get too many English literature scholars in a room together, guaranteed they’ll fight about one question: Who wrote Shakespeare’s plays? Because it’s somehow unimaginable that a humble actor from the countryside could pen lasting works of staggering wit and soul. One popular take is that Kit Marlowe, the most lauded and debaucherous poet of the time, secretly penned many of Shakespeare’s credited works. Some scholars now believe Marlowe and Shakespeare were actually collaborators.
Set in Elizabethan England and packed with conspiracy, Born With Teeth presents a world full of intrigue – religious, political, professional, and, oh yeah, sexual. Ellis makes a coquettish Shakespeare. One moment he’s every bit the naif Marlowe believes him to be, the next he seems to understand far more than he reveals. He occasionally addresses the audience, giving morsels of exposition and historical context. And while Ellis pulls off the narrative duties, he works extra well in scenes as an earnest foil to Marlowe. His Shakespeare sits prissily, taking in the world and work with wide, shiny eyes.
Much credit goes to director Ben Wolfe, who uses the claustrophobic one-room setting to its full advantage. Two men and a table. It’s all there is, but he has the characters pace around, climb furniture, and slightly touch each other in spellbinding ways. The emotional ante is so dialed up, there’s no room to feel fidgety. Their movements sparkle.
But what of the words? Adams’ script is extremely writerly, blending actual text from plays with Shakespeare and Marlowe’s artistic exchanges. As they collaborate over time – we see three meetings over the course of years – they sneak in words from their actual script . They swap tidbits of Marlowe’s poems and Shakespeare’s plays, little bits and bobs showing their devotion to each other.
Bailey Ellis Ben Wolfe Born With Teeth Ismael Soto III
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