The Da Vinci Code

The Da Vinci Code opens at the ADC Theatre on Tuesday 17 November, presented as the Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club's Freshers' Play. It's a stage adaptation of Dan Brown's international bestseller, and it's a multi-award winning production that brings the mystery and murder of the novel to the stage.

For those who know the book, the premise is familiar: a murder in the Louvre leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci, with a secret society and a race against time at its heart. On stage, it's a thriller that leans into the suspense and the puzzle-solving, so it should hold up even if you've already read the book and know where the clues lead.

There's a bit of local context worth having, too. The ADC is one of the smallest departments of the University of Cambridge and the oldest University playhouse in the country, with plays running on the site since 1855. It's the centre of University drama in the city, run almost entirely by students with no Faculty involvement, and it's helped launch the careers of theatre names like Sir Ian McKellen, Rachel Weisz and Emma Thompson. Resident student companies include the Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club, the Cambridge Footlights, the Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society and the Fletcher Players.

This particular production is the CUADC Freshers' Play, so it's one of the first shows the club puts on the new academic year. You'll find the ADC on Park Street in Cambridge, and the show runs from 17 November.