Review: THE DA VINCI CODE at Ogunquit Playhouse

There were sparks in the air at the Ogunquit Playhouse on opening night of the American premiere of The Da Vinci Code.

Based on the highly popular book by Dan Brown (I’m guessing it sold a quadrillion copies) and the movie directed by Ron Howard starring Tom Hanks, the show had a run in London’s West End last year, but this is the first time it touched the shores in the United States.

Leave it to the illustrious executive artistic director at the theater, Brad Kenney, to snag the option to produce the American premiere complete with one of the co-script adapters, Rachel Wagstaff in the opening night crowd along with author, Dan Brown, in person, waving to the sold-out house.

The stage version of  The Da Vinci Code features American symbologist Robert Langdon (Michael Urie) and cryptologist Sophie Neveu (Hannah Cruz) who are trapped in a web of mystery trying to find out who murdered the curator at the Louvre, one Jacques Saunier (Howard Kaye). Saunière, it seems, spent a lifetime studying the decoded messages that Leonardo DiVinci apparently created in his paintings. It appears that Saunière left cryptic messages to discover mysteries surrounding DaVinci even including hints to his own murderer. Langdon has been summoned to decode the messages but, through a strange course of events, finds himself regarded as a suspect.

Langdon and Neveu follow a mind-blowing succession of clues that take them from lecture halls and churches in Paris to a bank depository that gives them even more ammunition for solving their mystery. Their path continues on a flight over the English Channel compliments of Sir Leigh Teabing (Charles Shaughnessy), a teacher friend of Langdon’s who directs the couple in a search for the ever-evasive Holy Grail sought by many for centuries. (Now, are you thinking of Indiana Jones? Good. Teabing even makes a reference to him.)

Following the action can be a bit overwhelming, so you might want to make a mental scorecard while taking in the show. Fortunately, the clues keep you thinking, and the action is steady and engaging. The Ogunquit Playhouse’s The Da Vinci Code is one great mystery that comes to a rewarding conclusion.

The three lead actors give superb performances. Urie, as Langdon, has a Harvard geek academic charm, in one moment a genius for solving a clue and in the next, bumbling his way through a scene trying to look natural holding a hostage at gun point. He’s quirky, endearing, and even funny at times. Urie is a perfect fit for the role.

Cruz is even a bit more endearing and engaging in her role because her character has a high stakes interest in solving Saunière’s string of clues and his ultimate demise. (No spoilers here!) Cruz balances her role with a dose of intensity, vulnerability, and pure brilliance in her sleuthing skills. Again, another perfect fit for a role. (Cruz returns to the Ogunquit stage after playing Inga in its production of Young Frankenstein.)

Fast becoming an Ogunquit Playhouse favorite having appeared in two productions of Spamalot here, Shaughnessy is delightful as the energetic Brit weaving his way into the array of twists and turns in the plot. He makes the trifecta in perfect casting.    

There are also strong performances from Glenn Morizio as Remy, Teabing’s butler with his own set of secrets, and David T. Patterson as Silas, the self-flagellating monk in a perversely strange relationship with God.

The script by Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel is nicely packaged to condense the enormous number of details outlined from Brown’s 600-page book. There’s just enough background information to keep the story interesting. (Make a mental note to keep that mental scorecard!0

The set design, by David Woodhead, works well featuring the massive hall of a museum that becomes many other settings with a few additions to the set and dazzling wall projections throughout all areas of the stage.  

There’s a cinematic feel to the production as sound designer, Kevin Heard, provides an underscoring soundtrack to a few key scenes in the production. It struck me odd at first, but it ended up being a nice added touch to the production.

Director, Leigh Toney, did a remarkable job keeping the action moving. Ogunquit audiences are not accustomed to non-musicals these days as they fully expect someone to burst into song. The pace was steady and engaging keeping folks on the edge of their seats waiting for the next clue to be solved.

And while the show resolved all the clues and mysteries that characters Langdon and Neveu encountered, it comes to a rather abrupt ending leaving audiences to pose other questions in their minds on the ride home from the theater.

Many thanks to the Ogunquit Playhouse for tackling such new and exciting ventures as this one. It will be interesting to see where The Da Vinci Code travels from here.

Photo by Gary Ng