The Most Precious of Goods at Marylebone Theatre

A stunningly beautiful tale, The Most Precious of Goods is a stage adaptation of Jean-Claude Grumberg’s novella of the same name, translated from French by Nicolas Kent. Set during WWII and the horrors of the Holocaust, it’s a story about family and belonging, and the search for love in the unlikeliest of places.

It’s refreshingly simple in its production, directed by Nicolas Kent and designed by Carly Brownbridge. The story is told by the narrator (Samantha Spiro), sitting on a comfy chair with a book in her hands and surrounded by foliage like on a forest ground. In the background, there are various scenic pictures: sometimes of a forest, sometimes close-ups of snow or of the trains that were used to transport Jewish prisoners to the concentration camps. To the right of the stage, there is a cellist (Gemma Rosefield), who plays snippets of pieces at various intervals, anything from Brahms and Kreisler to original music by Rosefield.

The tale centres around a poor woodcutter’s wife somewhere in Eastern Europe, who discovers a bundled baby in the snow, cast out of a moving train in an act of desperation by a young Jewish father being transported to a concentration camp. The woodcutter’s wife, who had always wanted a child, sees this as an act of God and takes care of the baby as if it were her own.

It’s a masterfully written narrative and the translation is superb. It takes the form of a fairy tale, evoking a sense of magic about it. The words Nazis, concentration camps, Jews, etc. are never mentioned when the main plot is described – only when we get the Jewish father’s side of the story does the audience discover directly what’s going on. Spiro’s delivery of the text is spot-on, maintaining an excitement that matches the flow perfectly.

Calling The Most Precious of Goods a play might be a bit of a stretch, but that doesn’t matter to the experience. It’s a wonderfully written and told story that reminds us of events that should never be forgotten and is, as such, an easy recommendation.

Michael Higgs
Images: Beresford Hodge

The Most Precious of Goods is at Marylebone Theatre from 22^nd January until 3^rd February 2024. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.