The Story by Tracey Scott Wilson is about finding and telling a story and where the truth of it lies.
Set in a newspaper office, it’s based loosely on the case of a Washington Post journalist who won and subsequently gave up a prestigious award for an article they had written when its origins were questioned.
In the play, the story that sparks ‘the story’ is about a middle-class white couple who get lost while driving to a restaurant in a less affluent part of the city.
The husband gets shot and killed, and the wife identifies the shooter as a black male, but the police struggle to find the perpetrator.
At the local newspaper, the Vanguard section, headed by Pat (Lorraine Toussaint), is investigating.
Reporter Neil (Ashley Thomas) is digging into the background of the widow, and ambitious rookie Yvonne (Letitia Wright), tired of being assigned what she deems mundane stories, unearths an explosive lead.
Unbeknownst to Pat and Neil, Yvonne also happens to be in a relationship with white trust-fund newspaper heir Jeff (Will Scolding), who is the news editor and whom she hopes will promote her.
To what lengths will Yvonne go to get the story that could catapult her career? And where will Neil, Pat and Jeff draw the line when personal and newspaper reputations are on the line?
Are their motivations and prejudices justified?
The Story is fast-paced, and the first half is heavy with stylised conversations where a discussion or phone call with different people happens simultaneously.
You have to follow the same conversation recalled by different parties, the dialogue switching to and from different interpretations and recollections. It’s like watching a rapid three-way verbal tennis match and can be hard to follow.
It’s a device that begins to feel overused, as there is no time to grasp the nuance of the conversations and to properly get to know the characters.
The characters are all human in their flaws, obviously scarred by injustices, marked by privileges, and carrying prejudices. They are also not particularly likeable, which makes it hard to care too deeply about their predicaments.
It throws the spotlight firmly on the truth of the story, but the ending is ambiguous with too many unanswered questions.
Instead, it leaves an unsolved crime and the story behind it up for interpretation. However, without that deeper understanding of the characters and their connections, it feels a little underwhelming.
Final thoughts
This play is about ambition and integrity, but it’s also about class and racism. It is described as a newsroom thriller, but something gets lost in the style of storytelling.
The Story, National Theatre
Written by Tracey Scott Wilson
Directed by Clint Dyer
Starring: Lorraine Toussaint, Letitia Wright, Wilf Scolding and Ashley Thomas.
Running time: 2 hours and 30 minutes, including an interval
Booking until 24 October, for more information and to buy tickets visit the National Theatre website.
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