The Da Vinci Code - Ogunquit Playhouse

You have to give playwrights Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel a tip of the hat for taking author Dan Brown’s best-selling thriller, The Da Vinci Code, and crafting a streamlined, mostly fast-paced stage adaptation.  Obviously, taking a 680 page, all-time classic and paring it down to a satisfying 2.5 hour play requires sacrifices to the plot and fleshing out of characters.  Lengthy descriptive passages and inner monologues also need to be removed.

 

Hannah Cruz and Michael Urie in The Da Vinci Code.

From the very beginning, Director Leigh Toney has the show at breakneck speed.  She is more successful with the ramped up action than in the few meditative moments of the play.  Her collaboration with the creative team, most notably Andrzej Goulding’s stunning visual projections, David Woodhead’s striking Scenic Design, and Kevin Heard’s accomplished Sound Design, provides a polished and technically adroit production that is highly effective.  They allow for a tremendous amount of information to be quickly conveyed visually as opposed to through oral exposition.  Their creativity and imagination gives the production a rapid, but not hurried, tempo.  There is still a lot of material that is presented to the audience, which requires attentiveness and focus.  Having read the book may make the plot easier to follow, but is not a necessary prerequisite to enjoy the play.

 

The cast of The Da Vinci Code.

A summary of the storyline would take up too much space and possibly spoil some of the twists and turns of the show.  Suffice it to say there is a murder in the Louvre.  Robert Langdon, a Harvard University professor of the history of art and religious symbology, is giving a lecture in Paris.  He is urgently called in by the Paris police to assist with the investigation due the nature of the crime and writings discovered in one of the galleries.  Also on the scene is Sophie Neveu, a cryptologist with the police force. Langdon and Neveu quickly realize the writings are clues to a possibly cataclysmic discovery that could alter long held beliefs.  With ominous religious forces on their tale, as well as the police, the two head from Paris to Versailles and finally London to solve the murder mystery and prevent a reckoning that would shock the world.

 

Hannah Cruz, Michael Urie and Charles Shaughnessy in The Da Vinci Code.

The principle cast members - all veterans of the New York stage, bring a high level of professionalism and nuance to their roles.  Michael Urie, known more for his comedic roles, demonstrates his acting prowess with an intense, credible portrayal of the Ivy League professor.  He is able to impart a dizzying array of exposition without sounding contrived or dry.  Mr. Urie gesticulates a bit too much but, overall, makes a convincing Robert Langdon.  Hannah Cruz brings fervor and emotion to the role of Sophie Neveu.  Together with Mr. Urie, they make a winning pair.  Charles Shaughnessy, a skilled and talented actor, brings a gung-ho spirit to the role of Sir Leigh Teabing, a Holy Grail expert.  He is fun to watch as he clashes with his dear friend, Robert Langdon, pontificates about the Grail, and takes charge in the hunt.  He brings a playfulness to the role, providing a balance with the intensity of the other two stars.   David T. Patterson’s portrayal of the brooding, and self-flagellating character Silas is menacing and sorrowful.  His musclebound frame accentuates his inner strength and struggles.

David T. Patterson in The Da Vinci Code.

 

The Da Vinci Code, a spirited, entertaining theatrical experience.  Playing at the Ogunquit Playhouse through September 23.  Click here for dates, times, and ticket information.