Review: Vera; Or, The Nihilists, Jack Studio Theatre   

Witty repartee, dissection of late Victorian society and comedic brilliance – all ingredients you associate with Oscar Wilde’s plays. But way back in 1883 (his first hit Lady Windermere’s Fan premiered nine years later), in New York City, of all places, Wilde’s first attempt at playwriting was staged. Vera; Or, The Nihilists is a completely different affair, intriguing, curious and ostensibly serious.

We are in Tsarist Russia during the time of Tsar Ivan, whose repressive regime engenders resistance in the shape of the Nihilists, driven to fight for the poor in an armed struggle. Activists are rounded up and sent away to Siberia while a court surrounding the supreme leader plot and counterplot to maintain their privileged position.

Vera (Natasha Culzac), spurred on by the death of her brother, becomes the leading firebrand of her local cell, joined by her spurned suitor Michael (Finn Samuels), who equals her in militant fervour. A somewhat shadowy member, suspected of being an infiltrator, turns out to be the Tsar’s son (!!), Alexei (George Airey), who espouses the Nihilist cause, much to the horror of his father, the Tsar (Jonathan Hansler) and the rest of the court, including Baron Raff (Jo Idris-Roberts) and Count Rouvaloff (Samuels doubling up). The Prime Minister (Kat Kim) defects and joins the rebels. The Tsar, more paranoid than ever, is assassinated by Vera, and so Alexei is heir apparent. The grand moment of decision is as the group insists Vera must assassinate the new Tsar, despite their blossoming love for each other. What will she decide?  Events intervene, and tragedy ensues.

This brief outline suggests a swashbuckling storyline of political principle and struggle, but alas, the writing never lets us get completely involved. The structure is flimsy at best, necessitating a voiceover to tell us where we are and some frantic doubling up. The set (Ruth Varela) deals with these challenges pretty well, but scene changes needed more slickness. The acting is variable – devoicing at the end of sentences and a lack of strong playing of the objectives. Consequently, where we should be taken along by the gravity of the situation, we are instead allowed to see the preposterous side of the plotting, and giggles ensued at the worst moments in terms of the plot. Wilde apparently wrote in his script, “serious” but I’m afraid dialogue and character need a much greater depth and development than on show here. Indeed, after that premiere, there was a riot of laughter, with devastatingly negative reviews, so much so that Wilde never staged the play again. Bizarrely – a real misstep, in my opinion – the director has decided to add a voiceover right at the end before the curtain call, explaining this very fact, which completely undermines the valiant efforts of the cast and design. They fight gamely to make this disjointed offering work – principally, Samuels as Stephen stands out, followed closely by George Airey (a real aesthetic aristocratic air about him, which the camera will love). Culzac is strong as Vera but is her own worst enemy – a militant has a constant inner fire, but her vocal energy needs to be maintained all the way through her lines and scenes.

Vera is a curious affair, intriguing but let down by the immature writing that seems more like one of Wilde’s children’s stories. His chosen subject matter needs more richness and a clearer drive forward. This is more like a comic strip, with regrettably more emphasis on the comic. 

Still, is it worth a visit, you ask? On balance, yes – it is a real eye-opener, in every sense of the word.

Written by Oscar Wilde
Directed by Cecilia Thoden van Velzen
Set & Lighting by Ruth Varela
Costumes by Anastasiia Glazova
Produced by Stephen Leach at Third Thing

Vera; Or, The Nihilists plays at The Jack Studio Theatre until Saturday September 27.