Review: BORN WITH TEETH at Guthrie Theater

Some may say that history is boring, and to those individuals, the Guthrie Theater has a simple response, Born With Teeth. There are no big dance breaks or flashy costumes to fawn over but what it lacks in those departments, it certainly makes up for in the breakneck speed dialogue and remarkable acting. Born With Teeth is a ravishing production that can't be missed.

Kit Marlowe and William Shakespeare meet in the back of a tavern with plans to collaborate on a new series of plays. What follows is a battle of wits, egos and flirtations that just might end in tragedy. History may have given us the "facts" but in Liz Duffy Adam's play, the audience may just come to realize that sometimes history can get the facts wrong.

When the audience is introduced to Christopher "Kit" Marlowe and William Shakespeare, they are presented as two men at opposite ends of the totem pole. Marlowe is at the height of his career, dressed in leather and glittering from head to toe in gold adornments. Whilst the lowly Shakespeare is presented as a mere commoner, with only a quill and some parchment at his disposal. It is clear from the start that a power struggle is sure to ensue and ensue it does, leading to a conclusion that history will certainly remember.

Playwright, Liz Duffy Adams, has woven together true historical events and people, into a story that may or may not have actually happened. Thus, treating the audience to not only a superb play but also a condensed history lesson about the world that surrounded our two leading men.

Adams has crafted a script that on the surface could seem simplistic, putting two titans of the literary world into the same room to create a piece of theater together to see what happens, but she doesn't take the simple route. Instead she takes the audience on a deeply emotional journey, bringing these two men, whom we think we know from historical records, to vivid life.

She has created a play that will certainly resonate with the audience on an emotional level but Adams is not afraid to also pose questions that the audience may not be comfortable answering, such as: Why do the powerful get to make the rules? Is god really there? What is love?

Taking the helm of this production is the creative director of Alley Theatre, Rob Melrose. Melrose is no stranger to the Guthrie stages, his most recent directoral endeavor being the awe inducing production of Frankenstein - Playing With Fire. Coincidentally which was also a play that only has a cast of two actors. Melrose once again shows that he is a genius when it comes to creating intimacy and tension between two people who are at constant odds with one another.

Born With Teeth, at it's core, relies squarely on the spoken word and having two extremely talented actors to take up the helms of Kit and Will. This daunting undertaking falls on Matthew Amendt (Kit) and Dylan Godwin (Will) who possess more than enough talent to bear the weight of this production's needs.

Dylan Godwin brings a wondrous charm to the hopeful Will, swaying effortlessly from determination to keep Kit on track to moments of giving in to his emotions and showing that deep down he is all of us, someone who is doing what they have to do to survive, while also just wanting to be loved.

Bearing the other half of the work load, Matthew Amendt gives a portrayal of Kit Marlowe that can only be described as electric. He brings a flamboyancy and charm to Kit that never feels like an act, he simply is Kit Marlowe. Amendt never shies away from the pain that Kit is constantly enduring, even if he uses comedy to mask the hurt. It is in these moments that Amendt shines most, his vulnerability is what proves to be his most enduring quality.

Both men live within their characters so deeply, while trying not be caught in the crosshairs of a totalitarian government that would simply love to eradicate anyone who contradicts what they believe, while trying to create a meaningful friendship between themselves. It is through these interactions, that the audience begins to see the unraveling of their world and we can't help but feel for each of them individually and as a collective unit as it becomes more and more clear that they may not be destined for a happy ending.

There is quick wit and many flirtations to be had throughout but the final "act" will certainly be the piece of this production that sticks with the audience long after the lights rise. Giving the audience a harsh dose of reality that we must all come to terms with, we are all Born With Teeth.

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