The Da Vinci Code
Adapted for the stage by Rachel Wagstaff & Duncan Abel, based on the novel by Dan Brown
Directed by Chad Rabinovitz
Constellation Stage & Screen
Waldron Auditorium
March 26th - April 12th, 2026
Production Team:
Scenic Design: Christopher Rhoton
Costume Design: Guy Charles Clark
Lighting Design: Jennifer Fok
Sound Design & Original Music: Brandon Reed
About The Play
Dan Brown’s international best selling book, is now adapted for the stage in a thrilling, high-stakes adventure! When the curator of the Louvre is found murdered under mysterious circumstances, symbologist Robert Langdon and cryptologist Sophie Neveu are thrust into an investigation that quickly unravels into a deadly conspiracy. As they follow a trail of cryptic puzzles and ancient codes, they discover a secret that could change the course of history. The play follows three groups in search of the Holy Grail, which may or may not reveal the truth of Jesus’s bloodline. We have Robert and Sophie our protagonists, Opus Dei, who wish to reveal to the world the truth and bring down the church, and the Priory of the Scion who wish to protect it at all costs. Who will come out on top? Will the status quo be upheld or will things as we know it come undone?
As Robert learns from police captain Bezu Fache of what happened to the curator’s body, we see it brought to life in the background as he describes it.
A cinematic whoosh takes us into the story, as we hear climatic and suspensful music keeping the pace and energy high. As he rips a painting off the wall, the alarm triggers. Eventually he is locked into a room as the gate slams shut on him. Eventually he is shot by the murder. As Fache continues to provoke Robert, he has a revelation, which is highlighted by a piano note that suspends the chaos. Once Robert is ready to reveal his hypothesis, a whoosh takes us out of the sequence.
The Cryptex Vault
Once Robert and Sophie have the clues they need from the Mona Lisa, they journey to the vault where the curator (Sophie’s father) has hidden another piece of the puzzle. Here they get into a comedic back and forth with the vault’s keeper as they try to figure out the code to access it. They only get one chance so they debate back and forth.
The keeper of the vault, suspicious of them both, must leave the room. But before he does he locks them inside. As he leaves we hear a rhythmic musical underscore which not only feels slightly comedic, but keeps the tension of the moment. The U.I. of the vault is projected on set accompanied by sound that feels digital and appropriate. Once they’ve inputted the code, we hear a sound of approval as the computer tells them the belongings will arrive shortly. Muzak is heard to provide a bit of comedic relief. Once the device has arrived a notification is heard as it rises out of the podium in the middle.
In the first scene of Act 2, we have Robert and Sophie on board of Teabing’s private jet on their way to London. As they are on the flight Sophie recalls a memory of seeing her father (the curator) one evening involved a ritualistic ceremony. We jokingly referred to this as the sex ritual.
As she recalls the memory a haunting whoosh take us into it. We have a low frequency drone to convey a sense of unease to reflect how she felt. It’s layered with mallets playing atonal music, as we hear a male choir and voice overs of our cast chanting to reflect the religious aspects. Once she sees her father a piano note brings a light on him and a suspenseful high pitch violin is heard before we are whooshed out of the memory.
The Truth
During the big climatic moment where we learn that the “Teacher,” all along was Teabing, we have a moment where Robert has a reflection of everything that has happened and comes up with the password for the cryptex. He tricks Teabing, by throwing the cryptex up into the air and it falls to the floor shattering and causing the message inside to become corrupted and unsolvable.
A cinematic whoosh takes us into a suspenseful moment between Teabing and Robert. Robert has a revelation and suspends time to go into his mind palace with a single piano note. An inquisitive and mystical underscore is heard as he pieces together the solution to the puzzle and comes up with the idea to trick Teabing. A whoosh takes us back to reality before he decides to throw it into the air and it falls back to the ground. Entirely highlighted with sound to really make it more impactful and devasting.
Opus Dei: Sex Ritual
Photos taken courtesy of Emelie Flower
The play impressively manages to bridge a novel as well as a movie adaption into a straight play. However, it tends to have large amounts of information thrown at the audience. From the first conversation with our director Chad, he made it clear that the stakes for this play must always be high. We have to continue to keep the audience engaged and help realize the magnitude of what is being said, or we will lose their attention. Therefore the desire was for me to score this entire play cinematic ally as if it were a film. Using high stakes musical transitions and internal underscoring within scenes to help the audience not only stage engaged, but help them understand how they should be feeling every step of the way.
I began researching high-action dramatic films such as the original film adaption of the book, as well as Ocean’s Eleven, Eden, and Knives Out. Taking the inspiration from these films I decided use a mostly orchestral score with a dash of synth. To help tie into the religious aspect of the story, I used Spitfire Audio’s Eric Whitacre Choir to add a male chorus to the tracks which helped to provide a musical separation between the three different groups we follow. The entire play was scored with music of my own in order to allow for the flexibility of keeping the audience engaged as Chad and I see fit.
To further help the audience, I made the choice to reinforce all actor dialogue with wireless microphones. The idea was to add a subtle reinforcement so the dialogue was a bit clearer without being overly amplified. This also allowed me to mix the musical underscoring within the scenes to be a bit more present than is normal for plays. This also allowed me to use vocal effects through our console (Midas M32R) in order to enhance certain sequences, such as reverb for Solinere’s ghost, or for “Teacher” to have a masked voice throughout until his identity is revealed. Sound Design was almost another character in the play, and it was pivotal to keep the tension and stakes high.
Top Of Show
From the moment the play starts, we kick things off with a thrilling orchestral transition that gets us into the top of the show. We find Robert Langdon giving a presentation at a college about symbols and how their context changes throughout time. He journeys to the Louvre where he finds the curator murdered with himself as one of the suspects. Here he meets Sophie, who helps him escape. From here our two protagonists begin their journey to not only prove Robert’s innocence, but untangle the secrets of the church.
The Sound Design
Opus Dei Introduction
As Robert journeys to the Louvre we get a brief musical transition into a title card, we then meet the dark religious group Opus Dei, who wish to uncover the church’s hidden secret.
To give off a cinematic film feel, I layered a large impact sound that takes us into a blackout with a swirling aural texture from a synth that gives it a mystical space feel. It continues into a recording of the cast doing a religious chant as we met Silas. He speaks out loud to the “Teacher” to earn his praise. He whips himself in punishment for the sins he has committed (and to come), which I layered with a sound effect to emphasis the impact. On his final whip it echos as we transition into another mystical transition that conveys a sense of time moving forward. We arrive at the Louvre where Robert finds the body.
The Chase
Church of Saint Sulpice
As Robert and Sophie escape being arrested at the Louvre we switch over to Silas as he explores the church of Saint Sulpice. Here he hopes to dig up an ancient artifact that may provide more information to the whereabouts of the church’s hidden secret, The Holy Grail. He is suspected by a nun of the church, to which he threatens to beat, but decides to leave alone.
A high stakes musical transition takes us from Robert and Sophie to Silas entering the church. As the scene begins we hear a low male choir chanting to give us a religious, but darker feel that continues to follow those who work with Opus Dei. As Silas finds the spot within the church to dig for, he slams a shovel into the ground on impact we have a large cinematic impact sound effect that also takes us back into Sophie and Robert in the next scene.
The Mona Lisa
After Silas decides to not harm the nun, we then journey to the Mona Lisa herself. In order for Robert and Sophie to proceed further into their search they must see the painting in order to solve a riddle.
From the moment Silas leaves the stage, we hear two layers of tones, both a high and a low. This adds a bit of suspense and to go with what we just witnessed. As the nun preys we hear these tones as a piano pings slowly to build anticipation for the Mona Lisa to be revealed. Once she finishes we go into a high stakes musical transition to go with the scenery moving, as the wall with the Mona Lisa comes downstage, we have a cinematic whoosh that suspends all sound. A piano guides the painting into place with single notes until it lands with one final note echoing throughout the space.
End Of Act 1
By the end of the act, Robert and Sophie have inquired another researcher for help by the name of Teabing. They are off to London to continue the search. After they leave, we fast forward in time to captain Fache and his assistant Collet explore Teabing’s home. There they find cameras all around the attic. Someone has been watching their every move. They review the footage of the night the curator was murdered, possibly identifying the suspect before we break for Intermission.
A cinematic whoosh takes us into the scene, where we hear suspenseful music to go with the police exploring Teabing’s home. As they discover the attic, the music shifts and brings in strings to further enhance the mystery. We then hear the footage of the curator’s demise. Afterwards they made the revelation of who the murder was as the music shifts into a play off. A loud percussive impact is heard as we go to a black out.
Opus Dei: Escalation
Silas having retrieved the cryptex from Robert and Sophie returns to the sanctum of Opus Dei with Teabing’s man servant, Remy. Remy is revealed to not be the secretive, “Teacher,” but rather than another person serving him. Silas feeling like he was used as a tool decides to try and kill Remy, but in the end is shot down.
We have a sinister religious musical transition consisting of a male choir and drums. This takes us into the scene as a uneasy low frequency drone is played underneath the scene. As tension builds between Silas and Remy, a cello playing a tremolo piece of music ratchets up the tension. As Silas makes a move he is shot down. We hear a gentle piano play as Silas passes. Remy vows to help, “Teacher” capture Robert and Sophie as we are whisked away into another orchestral high stakes transition.