The 2014 First World War centenary commemorations make this production of Birdsong, adapted from Sebastian Faulks’ bestseller, more poignant, but its essential power derives from the quality of the original.

It is impossible not to be moved by the bravery, camaraderie, black humour, despair and even cowardice it depicts, as a group of officers and the sappers who dug the incredible network of tunnels which both sides used as a weapon of war struggle to cope with the emotional trauma of the conflict. There were certainly some tears among the audience, as well as on stage, on Monday night.

That the human cost of the conflict far outweighed its political gains, and that beauty and love can be found in even the grimmest of settings comes across with blinding clarity.

First performed in 2010, and now touring in a revised version, the story of young officer Stephen Wraysford, beautifully played by George Banks, and his love first for married Frenchwoman Isabelle (Caroline Stoltz) and then for the men under his command is deeply moving and totally convincing.

His men, including Peter Duncan as navvy-with-a-heart Jack Firebrace, his stout-shouldered buddy Arthur (Simon Lloyd) and eloquent Welshman Evans, blossom from the initial hard-drinking whoring group into a band of brothers every bit as memorable as those who fought in later conflicts.

Samuel Martin, as Evans, deserves special praise for his wonderful Welsh singing and live violin performances. Truly a multi-talented actor.

The set is a triumph, dark and grim when necessary but not without lighter touches, with the backdrop of the top of the trenches looming over all.

You are warned the production contains loud noises, and so it does, as explosions rock the lives of the cast. Underneath almost all the wartime action is the constant low-level crump of mortar and gunfire – and, whether you can hear it or not, but soaring above the worst of the emotion, is the birdsong of the title, wild, free and reminding us that a real life, without war, is there waiting to be resumed when the fighting ends.

This runs until Saturday, with some seats still available.