Review: The Story (Olivier Theatre)

Review by Daz Gale

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As is so often the case, National Theatre has stacked their press nights in quick succession, with two of their three spaces hosting their latest offerings in the space of three days. Following Tuesday’s electric production of Electra/Persona, I was back there to check out the UK premiere of a play in their largest space, the Olivier Theatre, as The Story promised intrigue brought by a leading American playwright, a proven director and starring a BAFTA Award-winner. Could it deliver on all counts and be worthy of a headline of its own, or would it instead prove not worth reporting on?

The Story centres around Yvonne (Letitia Wright) who has taken a job in a newsroom. Desperate to prove herself and advance her career, she finds herself involved in a murder case where a white teacher is killed in a black neighbourhood. With no way of identifying the killer other than the victim’s wife's claim that they were black, Yvonne finds herself navigating a story of twists and turns where everything is not what it seems. But how much is she willing to risk to seek out the truth, and will the eventual price of her ambition be too much?

Written by Tracey Scott Wilson, the themes present in The Story are as relevant now as ever, with racial politics, tensions and aggressions all at play. Buried in the story are the ideas of unconscious bias and the microaggressions found in the workplace as well as ambition and competition, all with the overarching theme of “truth” - how the truth is uncovered, and the steps people can take to cover their tracks. In some ways, the themes are similar to that of Electra/Persona, playing downstairs at the Lyttelton Theatre, as it aims to distinguish truth from fiction and one person from another. Perhaps that play’s success is the undoing of this, as The Story struggles to convey these themes anywhere near as convincingly.

There is certainly merit to Wilson’s writing and, in some respects, she attempts to cover a lot of ground in The Story, shining a light at some of the most urgent topics plaguing Black Americans today. Unfortunately, the result feels somewhat underbaked, as if the surface has barely been scratched. The story is told mostly in snapshot form, darting back and forth and often repeating itself, leaving the audience to fill in the blanks. However, it somehow manages to simultaneously feel confusing while not saying enough to justify the time it takes to tell the story. The choice to have scenes play out simultaneously, with one character turning back and forth to have separate interactions at the same time is initially inspired, but becomes tiresome through its overuse and tricky execution. Again, the mirroring can be compared to Electra/Persona though, unfortunately in this case, there was a sense of it not being as slick and polished as I would have hoped by press night, with cast members missing their cues, stepping on each others lines, stopping their sentences and repeating some more often than I could justify not mentioning at all.

Anyone who has seen a production directed by Clint Dyer previously will know what an incredible director he is. His track record speaks for itself, and I have been blown away by his skill and vision on more occasions than I can even count. There are certainly glimpses of his brilliance to be found in The Story, with the complex way he plays out the aforementioned simultaneous and mirrored scenes speaking to his genius. It can’t be overstated just how complex it is to stage scenes as complex as that, and they make up a large portion of the play itself, even if it does start to feel a bit more like a novelty as time progresses. Disappointingly, there seems to be a disconnect between his direction and Wilson’s writing, with the two styles jarring rather than complementing each other as hoped. Though I am confident it was the writing that proved the bigger stumbling block for me on this occasion, the direction doesn’t manage to patch up those holes and, in some cases, amplifies the shortcomings of the story further.

Anna Fleischle’s set design initially impresses, making full use of the large Olivier stage. Under the guise of the community centre mentioned in The Story, it doubles as the newsroom and every other location through some inspired choices that lead to a visually stimulating show. Video design from Gino Ricardo Green and Tal Yarden is used to remarkable effect, transforming every inch of the stage through some surprising but always fantastic design choices. I was less enamoured with the lighting design, however. Whether deliberate or not, it seemed to struggle to find the cast members on more than one occasion, leaving an aesthetic that was unnecessarily dark. That said, the use of lighting for the quick switches in the scenes played out simultaneously are undoubtedly impressive.

There are four main characters that make up the lion’s share of The Story. First, there is Wilf Scolding as Jeff, who runs the newspaper Yvonne works for and happens to be in an intimate and secret relationship with her. Scolding bides his time in a role that feels more like a sidekick than anything else, but comes into his own in later scenes as the play reaches its climax, demonstrating his versatility and skill with intense acting choices. Ashley Thomas has great dynamics with his fellow reporters as Neil and gets some brilliant comic moments early on, though does noticeably stumble through several of his lines early on. Lorraine Toussaint is a huge standout as Pat in a dominating role that asserts her authority and allows Toussaint to give a powerful performance, masterfully done.

The biggest draw for The Story is Letitia Wright in the leading role of Yvonne. Wright is an incredibly gifted actor with a magnetism to her that makes it impossible to look away whenever she is on stage. She is in fine form here in a well-rounded performance that has all the necessary intrigue to keep the audience hooked. Though there are still holes in the writing even the most accomplished of actors couldn’t repair, Wright minimises the damage through a compelling characterisation that tries to find depth in what could easily be considered an underdeveloped leading character. Always keeping you guessing and displaying a thrilling and differing dynamic with each of her three main co-stars, Wright effortlessly elevates The Story to a level another actor may not have quite managed.

There is a lot of potential to be found in The Story, and it is far from a bad show. It just isn’t quite there yet. Though the themes told throughout the play are urgent and important, the way they are conveyed feels unfinished and even rushed at times, leading to a confused and uneven execution. There is a great story to be told in this play that could make it much more captivating than it currently is. However, in its current form, it is merely fine. It may not be the greatest story ever told, but is it a story worth telling? Almost certainly, though more work needs to be done to get to the meat of the story and find the most effective way to tell it if it really wants to be front page news.

The Story plays at the Olivier Theatre until 24th October. Tickets from https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/the-story/

Photos by Feruza Afewerki