@showsiveseen Liz Duffy Adams' "Born with Teeth" #play by ArtsWest staring Ricky Spaulding & @Michael Monicatti. Nice catwalk stage. Success comes at a price … eat or be eaten! Proud that I correctly predicted the ending. Closes this weekend! Review: showsiveseen.com/8061 Photos: John McLellan Director: Mathew Wright #theatre #showsiveseen #shakespeare #gay #lgbt ♬ Loving Me – Janine
Elevator Thoughts (aka Tweet): Born with Teeth play by ArtsWest staring Ricky Spaulding & Michael Monicatti. Nice catwalk stage. Success comes at a price … eat or be eaten! Proud that I correctly predicted the ending.
See it if you’re familiar with the history/politics surrounding Shakespeare, Marlow, and Tudor England. Highbrow fancy literary gays would also enjoy this.
Synopsis from the Theatre: An aging authoritarian ruler, a violent police state and a restless, polarized people seething with paranoia: It’s a dangerous time for poets. Two of them — the great Christopher Marlowe and the up-and-comer William 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. One of them may well be the death of the other in this biting comedy about ambition, ego, and history.
Attended Performance Date: Opening Night 2/1/24 – Keep your eyes peeled for my preview posts on my website and social media if you want earlier notification of shows I’ve seen. Get your tickets now since the show ends this weekend!
Type: Play
World Premiere: No
Several or Few Scenes: Just three scenes
Several or Few Settings/Locations: Just one location
Static (Stationary) Set? Yes
Prior Exposure/Knowledge Required: As I alluded earlier, you should be familiar with the history/politics surrounding Shakespeare, Marlow, and Tudor England. If not, definitely analyze the diagram on the program’s first page below.
Defined Plot/Storyline: No, this play was more dialogue with less action and less story.
Equity Actors: 1
Total Number of Actors: 2
Perceived Pace of the Show: Slow to medium speed
Length (Including Any Intermission): 1.5 hours
Was there an intermission? No
Was This the First Time I Attended a Production of this Show? Yes
Would I See It Again 3 Years from Now? No
Other Rave(s) Not Mentioned Above
- Acting and Characterization: Ricky Spaulding’s portrayal of William Shakespeare struck me as honest. However, it was difficult to sympathize with Michael Monicatti’s Christopher Marlowe since the character was reminiscent of the tiresome stereotype of insufferable know-it-all bratty selfish Mean Girl gays with a handheld fan and with claws (proverbial or not). I will say though that the most interesting scenes in this play were when Marlow showed his vulnerable soft underbelly. Their interactions reminded me of opposite attractions … but were they really opposites in the end? 😉 Side note, kudos for crying on-demand on-stage!
- Romantic Tension : Michael and Ricky created sizzling romantic tension without too much gratuitous visuals. It’s difficult finding this amount of visual modesty in gay art and entertainment … even gay fiction books are typically filled with sex! The only exception was the first scene. While it effectively hooked the audience and the actors looked hot shirtless, the scene felt irrelevant to the play as a whole, and it obviously pandered to sex appeal.
Theatre Company: ArtsWest
Venue: ArtsWest
Venue Physical Address: 4711 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116
Price: Medium
Tickets: https://www.artswest.org/events/born-with-teeth/
Ticket Affordability Options: The ticketing website offers honor code discount options .
Dates: February 1 to February 25, 2024
Seating: Assigned Seating
Parking: There are paid lots and free street parking. I usually park on 44th or 45th Ave behind the theatre.
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Pictures: See pictures below and in video above by John McLellan.
