What makes a compelling story? The truth or a lie?
Written by Tracey Scott Wilson and directed by Clint Dyer, The Story follows an affluent white couple, Jessica (Antonia Bernath) and Tim Dunn (Josh Goulding), whose date night takes a devastating turn when Tim is fatally shot in a predominantly Black neighbourhood in America.
Jessica is pregnant and wants to challenge the perception that the neighbourhood is dangerous. She encourages Tim to join her for dinner with his family as a way of showing that the area is changing. Tim comes from a family of billionaires, so the couple are used to a very different way of life. But when they get lost on the way, the evening takes a horrifying turn.
In the aftermath, Jessica tells the police that she saw the attacker: “a big Black man”. The story quickly becomes national news, with journalists and television networks fighting to get the exclusive. But as innocent men are arrested based on an increasingly vague description, questions begin to emerge. How reliable is Jessica’s account? And if the story isn’t quite as straightforward as it first appeared, then who really killed Tim?
The Story takes us inside a leading newspaper’s office where journalists Neil (Ashley Thomas), Jeff (Wilf Scolding), Pat (Lorraine Toussaint) and Yvonne (Letitia Wright) are each trying to piece together what really happened. As a new journalist on The Vanguard desk covering stories about the Black community, Yvonne is ambitious and full of hopes and dreams. She is initially given what she considers the less important assignments, community centres and local stories rather than the headline making crime she wants. But what she doesn’t realise is that these seemingly ordinary encounters will eventually bring her closer to the truth.
The play feels like an intense, live action whodunnit thriller. You’re gripped from the jump and constantly trying to work out what happened and who is telling the truth. Just when you think you’ve figured it out, another piece of information changes everything. You find yourself relying on these four journalists to crack the case alongside you, and I was fully invested in trying to work it out with them.
The pace is one of the play’s biggest strengths. The script is sharp, fast moving and engaging. At times it feels like you’re watching a blockbuster film. Clint Dyer did a fantastic job with the direction to create that feeling, while the screens, lighting, sound, set and staging all work together to create a world that feels very real.
What makes the play for me is the acting. All three leads give amazing performances. Ashley Thomas, as Neil, has a fantastic stage presence and fully embodies his character. He brings so much energy to the role and his presence is magnetic. I loved how he balanced raw emotion with humour and used his intuition to dig deeper into the case. As he begins to realise that Yvonne’s story doesn’t quite add up, he starts to piece together what really happened. Ashley acted his socks off and I loved watching him bring Neil to life.
Letitia Wright as Yvonne was equally exceptional. I loved how Letitia brought vulnerability to the character whilst also showing her wittiness and cunningness. Just when you think you understand Yvonne, things take a very unexpected turn. Letitia made her incredibly believable and enjoyable to watch.
Lorraine Toussaint as Pat brings a completely different energy to the trio and the chemistry between all three actors is a real joy to watch. Each character brings another piece of the puzzle into focus and together they make the investigation feel convincing and pretty compelling. The whole cast were fantastic. Everyone put so much heart into their characters and had me fully engaged.
What makes The Story important is the themes it explores. Although the play is set in the 90s, issues surrounding racial profiling, police brutality and false reporting against the Black community unfortunately feel just as relevant today. It really makes you question how easily a story can be shaped by assumptions and lies.
The Story is intense and brilliant with amazing acting, a clever and pacey script and a mystery that keeps you questioning what you think you know. It’s also one of those plays that I could easily watch again because I’m sure I’d pick up on things I missed the first time around.
If you like great storytelling, brilliant performances and a good thriller, The Story is so worth seeing.
But as for who really killed Tim Dunn? You’ll have to watch it yourself.
NEED TO KNOW: The Story plays at the National Theatre until 24 Oct 2026
