A beautiful, commanding and visually stunning production; The Da Vinci Code started as a book, became a film and has now found its forever home on stage.
Dan Brown’s hit mystery thriller is brought to life in its world premiere at Wolverhampton Grand. Starring Nigel Harman (EastEnders), Hannah Rose Caton and Danny John-Jules (Red Dwarf, Death in Paradise), trust me - it’s a mind boggling show full of of suspense and action.
It tells the story of Professor Robert Langdon (Harman) and Sophie Neveu as they are thrusted into a quest of legends, to find the Holy Grail. But not all is as it seems - and they’re not the only ones after the worlds longest kept secret.
Will they solve the master puzzle and be able to unlock all the knowledge that’s needed to get to the bottom of this legendary riddle? Or will the cult of Opus Dei be able to beat them at their own game?
As soon as you sit down, you’re met with a visually stunning and intriguing set, as you’re immersed into the interior of the famous French art gallery, The Louvre. A large depiction of Leonardo Da Vinci’s iconic Vitruvian Man occupies the stage and immediately draws your attention. Coupled with representations of other pieces of famous artwork, you’re no longer in Lichfield Street - you’re sitting in a gallery surrounded by historical masterpieces.
Throughout, the use of lighting was top notch. The lighting designers use of projection and subtle, multi-purpose lighting built into the floor of the stage was nothing short of captivating.
Every single performer gave a beautiful portrayal, often of a number of characters. It seems callous to single out individuals but special mention should go to Joshua Lacey who fulfils the role of devout follower of God and member of the religious Cult Opus Dei, Silas.
His portrayal of this lost soul was second to none, expressing pure emotion through every line that he spoke. He managed to have me glued to every word which left his mouth during a number of monologues, embracing the audiences attention and fixating them with emotion.
Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel have done a stellar job of adapting Dan Brown’s book, really managing to successfully create a gripping stage adaptation of a story that entrances its audience from the moment they take their seats. Enthralling everyone in the theatre into solving colossal conundrums which turn out to be small pieces of a large jigsaw.
The Da Vinci Code runs at Wolverhampton Grand until Saturday 12th March. For more information and tickets visit grandtheatre.co.uk.
