'Arcadia' succeeds with skillful acting and suspense

"Arcadia," a mind-teasing search for truth among the English landscape and through the gamebooks of the Coverly household, premiered last night at the Hopkins Center with great energy, good acting and incredible costumes. Dartmouth's cast, which includes visiting British actor Sam West, enthusiastically met the challenge of Tom Stoppard's elaborate and complex play which alternates from 1809 to the 1990s from scene to scene until the end when past and present collide. Director James Loehlin correctly describes the script in the program, as a "masterpiece." His direction, while beautifully wrought, was sometimes lacking in creativity. The play opened with lights up on Thomasina Coverly, a 13-year old aristocrat played gracefully by Amanda Jones '97, and Septimus Hodge, her tutor portrayed stunningly by West. From the beginning, Jones provided great depth to her character by demonstrating both youth and innocence as well as the Coverly family genius.