Fast paced and fresh newsroom drama led by standout performer Letitia Wright
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What’s it about?
At the centre of Tracey Scott Wilson’s The Story is Yvonne (Letitia Wright), an ambitious young Black journalist working at a major American newspaper. Assigned to a section focused on positive stories about the local Black community, she has bigger ambitions – and sees her opportunity when a white teacher is murdered in a predominantly Black neighbourhood.
As Yvonne and her fellow journalists pursue the case, competing accounts begin to emerge and the apparent truth becomes increasingly difficult to pin down. What starts as a murder investigation develops into something much more complicated, raising questions about race, ambition, journalistic ethics and the uneasy line between reporting the truth and creating the more compelling story.
Written in 2003 and inspired in part by the real-life scandal surrounding journalist Janet Cooke, who was forced to return a Pulitzer Prize after admitting that her prize-winning story had been fabricated, the play feels remarkably pertinent more than two decades later. In an era of misinformation and competing versions of the truth, its central question – who gets to shape the story, and what are they prepared to sacrifice to do it? – feels particularly resonant.
What I loved
This is incredibly fresh, gripping theatre. From the outset, the production moves at an extraordinary pace bringing that newsroom energy. I was completely engaged, never quite certain where the story was going next.
Director Clint Dyer uses overlapping stories and dialogue to really keep things snapping along with characters, conversations and different strands of the story intersecting. This works particularly well with the four main characters, Yvonne (the ambitious young journalist), Jeff (Yvonne’s boyfriend and newspaper editor), Pat (Yvonne’s boss) and Neil (Yvonne’s colleague), each with their own strong personalities and style of interaction with the other characters.
The cast is strong and Letitia Wright is a standout as Yvonne bringing so much passion, energy, physicality and humour to the role. She is great to watch and when I thought her character might not be coming back in act two, I was very disappointed (then fortunately relieved). Ashley Thomas (Neil) has great chemistry with Wright and the pair create some very memorable funny moments, especially during a dinner date. Lorraine Toussaint is excellent as powerhouse Pat who you definitely don’t want to get on the wrong side of and Wilf Scolding is a very likeable and sincere Jeff.
The vast Olivier stage is set as one giant basketball court at a community centre with great use of two large doors in the centre for characters to emerge.
Anything I’d change?
The second act remains strong, but it isn’t quite as tight as the first. Some of the writing loses the precision and momentum that makes the opening half so exhilarating, and there are moments when the storytelling could have been sharpened. That difference is particularly noticeable because the first act sets such a high bar.
Who would enjoy it?
This play has broad appeal, and it was great to see a lot of young theatregoers in the audience.
Who created it?
The Story is written by award-winning American playwright and screenwriter Tracey Scott Wilson and directed by Clint Dyer.
The production is designed by Anna Fleischle, with costume design by Natalie Pryce, lighting by Paul Anderson and sound by Benjamin Grant. Lucie Pankhurst is movement director, with video design by Gino Ricardo Green and Tal Yarden.
Verdict
Fresh, funny and gripping, The Story is storytelling at full throttle. Its overlapping narratives and dialogue create an exhilarating momentum, while an excellent cast keeps you invested as the story continually shifts beneath your feet.