Palo Alto Players are up to ‘Code’ in latest production

When Palo Alto Players Artistic Director Patrick Klein learned that a stage version of Dan Brown’s 2003 bestselling novel “The Da Vinci Code” was out in the world, he had to know more.

Trekking out to Houston’s Alley Theatre last fall for their production provided clarity, leading to his own company’s regional Bay Area premiere.

“How can this dense novel become something to see on stage?” Klein said. “I wanted to know how this works and if it was entertaining. And in that process, I was just like, this is absolutely a show.”

The frenetic plot of the novel, with the plethora of chaotic twists and turns through the streets of Paris and London, is Palo Alto Players’ newest production, running Jan. 16-Feb. 1. The story traces a murder at the Louvre museum of a popular curator and Priory of Sion grand master. Harvard symbology professor Robert Langdon teams with police cryptographer Sophie Neveu to investigate the crime, with Langdon thrown into chaos, quickly becoming the murder investigation’s prime suspect.

The work of fiction is heavily informed by many true historic events. The Easter eggs of art history are plentiful, telling a story that dips and darts in many thrilling directions. Christian Munck never owned one of the 80 million copies sold, but dug deep into the dramaturgy once he was cast as Langdon in the Palo Alto Players’ production.

The one thing he noticed right away was a special connection he formed with Langdon–the experience that comes with playing a character a bit “nerdy and geeky.” Those attributes, along with the nonstop disarray of Langdon’s life, make for a fun murder mystery.

“When you get so much chaos hurtled at you, in some sense, it almost makes it easier as an actor because you have to respond in real time to everything that’s coming your way,” Munck said. “I’ve had experience with characters like this, but I’m not sure I’ve ever had a character who is so central to all the chaos of the show. There’s such a tension in the script of helping the audience understand all the different historical and cultural references, while at the same time making sure you’re still excited about the murder mystery and conspiracy of it all.”

While chaos is the word of choice among those involved in “The Da Vinci Code,” Klein is clear that the fun of the stage adaptation by Rachel Wagstaff and Duncan Abel is how engaged an audience needs to be for the play to fully work.

“What the show really does well is give you enough dramaturgical background of the story’s location without needing all of the novel’s details,” said Klein, adding that having Jennifer Copaken serve as both director and movement director greatly enhances the creativity of the storytelling. “There’s a lot that’s given all at once, but it’s really accessible because you don’t need to be super familiar with the Louvre or different paintings mentioned to know what they’re talking about.”

Munck said he enjoys the show’s combination of intellectualism and action. “I love the stakes of the show, with lots of moments where people are literally pulling guns and knives on you,” he said. “You go from an academic discussion with different symbols and stuff, and then you are suddenly in an action movie, and I get to ride that adrenaline rush.”

While comparisons to the film version of “The Da Vinci Code” seem inevitable, Klein said the stage version is more focused on the source material.

“It really feels like you get a full experience of what’s in the novel,” Klein said. “There’s so much you can’t put on stage, but at the end of the day, especially for those people who were relatively new to the novel, they’re going to get a sense of what the book is all about, which may carry them to read it after seeing the stage play.”

“The Da Vinci Code” runs Jan. 16-Feb. 1 at the Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road, in Palo Alto. For showtimes and tickets, visit https://paplayers.org/event/davinci-code

David John Chávez is a former chair of the American Theatre Critics/Journalists Association and a two-time juror for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (2022-23); @davidjchavez.bsky.social.