Novelist Dan Brown’s mystery-thriller The Da Vinci Code flew off the shelves when it was published in 2003 and was made into a rather lack-luster film in 2006. The stage adaption (by Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel) is making its regional debut to kick off Road Less Traveled Productions’ new season.

It’s a complex and controversial premise: did Jesus and Mary Magdalene have a child and who – if anyone – carries that bloodline today? Throw in a murder in the Louvre, some self-flagellation, the Knights of the Templar, and a few other surprises and you have yourself a pretty intense stage experience.

Chris Avery is Robert Langdon, a symbologist, and Lissette De-Jesus-Wrafter is Sophie Neveu the cryptologist who team up to find out who killed Sophie’s grandfather Jacques Sauniere (David Lundy). It’s a solid cast that doubles up on characters – David Greer (who stepped into a meaty role at the 11th hour), Johnny Barden, Nick Stevens, Russell Holt, Priscilla Younger-Anker, Sandra Roberts, and Gabriella Jean McKinley – and while the script takes many turns and twists, each member is strong and delivers, thanks to David Oliver’s direction.

What made this production a standout is the scenography: Dyan Burlingame’s design, Katie Menke’s projection design, and John Rickus’ light design elevated the script and gave this superb cast a real platform for dynamic performance. From a subtly lit cathedral to a speeding train that appeared to speed through the audience, the visual effects were stunning. Menke’s projections also depicted some of the story’s STEM complexities, with explanations of Fibonacci sequence, Newton’s law of gravity, the golden ratio, and how symbols and cyphers are more than metaphors to support the dialogue (because, hey, how often do you discuss symbology while solving a crime and changing perspectives on 2,000 year old religious teachings? Sometimes you need visual). Original music composed by Stephen Dubois (full disclosure, he is a volunteer review for Buffalo Theatre Guide, too), gave the show its aural mood and added to the ambient experience.

This is one of those productions which requires complete focus on a complex plot. I admit that I was more mesmerized by the visual and listening experiences. I read the novel lo those many years ago and have vague memories of the movie (enough to remember that I was not impressed). My imagination was engaged by the outstanding cast and how they seamlessly moved through the storytelling.

The overall experience is worth the engagement. As always, I’m very fond of RLTP’s program notes and the backstories on symbology and how religion and science underscore individual empowerment and rootedness. (If you’re interested, check out Math and the Mona Lisa by Bulent Atalay and enjoy more of the original music here.

The Da Vinci Code runs a little over two hours with a 15-minute intermission, until October 18. Get the details and your tickets at https://www.roadlesstraveledproductions.org//