Vera; Or, The Nihilists

Vera; Or, The Nihilists was the first play written by Oscar Wilde. It was also the first to be performed and premiered in 1883 in New York. Set in Russia, the play tells the story of Vera Sabouroff, a barmaid in her father's tavern, who starts working with the Nihilists, a gang of terrorists who are trying to kill the Tsar. After becoming the group's top assassin, she falls in love with one of the other members. However, this member is hiding his true identity and when the truth comes out, Vera ends up facing a terrible dilemma. Based loosely on the life of Russian socialist activist Vera Zasulich, the play was not a success when it was first written and was never performed in London - closing after only one week. Critics were divided with some saying it was 'the noblest contribution to its literature the stage has received in many years' -and others saying the play was 'long-drawn dramatic rot'.