The audience are greeted with a sparse set with muted colour tones, and the story unfolds within the set is one of mystery, puzzles and murderous happenings with more twists than a curly wurly.
That is the best way to summarise The Da Vinci Code, which is currently playing at Salisbury Playhouse.
Dan Brown's story is well known, as a best-selling book and a box office smash of a film, but I do not know it. I have not read the book or seen the film, but I was still excited by the prospect of seeing a stage version and wasn't disappointed.
I was taken on a fast-moving journey around Europe and many landmarks in a puzzle-solving, murder and double-crossing journey with a cast that took you along on a thoroughly enjoyable ride.
Joe Bannister (Robert Langdon) and Georgia-Mae Myers (Sophie Neveu) lead the cast. Both deliver great American and French accents, respectively, and have great chemistry on stage. The pair take on a rapid journey of discovery as they unravel the hidden clues in Leonardo da Vinci's works.
Philip Bretherton as Sir Leigh Teabing (Image Manuel Harlan)
Plenty of twists brought audible gasps from the packed audience inside the Playhouse as the cast moved around an ever-evolving set. We are transported from the Louvre in Paris to London and beyond.
The set design is simplistic but plays with light and shadow to draw the audience in. Simple changes mark different locations, and moments are often hidden in darkness, leaving plenty to the audience's imagination.
The play, directed by the award-winning Chelsea Walker, delivers both dark moments and plenty of light, too. There are quick moments of humour amongst murderers and a chase across the continent that includes a flight in a private jet and conversations in the men's toilets.
Philip Bretherton brings a dark twinkle to Sir Leigh Teabing's eye as he helps our leading pair on the path of discovery unravel the puzzles left for them to follow.
Expect nudity, self-harm and murder in an excellent night at the theatre. You can book your tickets via the Wiltshire Creative website here - https://www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk/events/the-da-vinci-code
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