Review: Vertigo solves complex mystery of Da Vinci Code with technical wizardry
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It's all the technical wizardry Vertigo Theatre brings to its production of The Da Vinci Code that makes it such a compelling experience.
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The adaptation of Dan Brown's 2003 bestselling novel is decidedly cinematic. The action jumps from the Louvre in Paris to several churches, an estate and even an airplane, but more importantly, the audience must see such Leonardo Da Vinci masterpieces as the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. Just hearing that these famous works contain symbols to prove Christ and Mary Magdalene had at least one child is not enough. We have to see these hidden symbols, and enlarged, if possible.
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That's what Andy Moro's projections do for us. They also help move us from one location to another, working so seamlessly with Anton DeGroot's ingenious set design. Director Simon Mallett makes certain there is true theatricality in the movement from one location to another. In keeping with the religious themes of the story, he has his actors dressed in monks' habits, but it also disguises who they are. It's so well thought out, as is everything about Mallett's staging.
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The play opens with the murder of Jacques Sauniere, the curator of the Louvre. Before he dies, he manages to write, in his own blood, a message for his granddaughter Sophie Neveu and famous American symbologist Robert Langdon. It's this message and the staging of his body that sets them, and the audience, on a quest for the Holy Grail.
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They are not the only ones. Two religious groups are also in pursuit. There is the Priority of Sion, who have been protecting the bloodline of Christ, and Opus Dei, who have vowed to destroy any evidence of Christ's humanity. There is also Inspector Fache, who is convinced it was Langdon who murdered Sauniere and is tracking him and Sophie.
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The whole setup is convoluted and complicated, much better suited for a novel or a film, but Mallett, his designers, and actors do their best to create a fun house, theme park ride for the audience.
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As Langdon, Graham Percy is the ideal tour guide. His confusion is ours, and Percy makes Langdon the quintessential everyman. There are a couple of great running jokes, including Langdon's claustrophobia and the fact that he seems to have given a lecture on everything they encounter along the way. Like his suit, Percy's Langdon has seen better days.
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Isabelle Pedersen gives Sophie an edge that saves her from ever being the damsel in distress. Unfortunately, for the first 20 minutes of the play, Pedersen shouts rather than speaks her lines. When she eases into the role, Pedersen takes control of the action as she is intended to. It's not her fault that the end of the play and the great revelations are dismissed so easily and quickly. The playwrights didn't give her much to work with.
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