I’ve never met anyone who hates To Kill A Mockingbird, though some people’s liking has been blunted by being forced to ‘do’ the novel at school.

Others, myself included, were captivated by the 1963 classic film as children, and then discovered the delights of the book.

But not all the audience who packed the theatre to capacity on the first night were die-hard fans: some, like my teenage son, were new to the story, and it was fascinating to watch as he was caught by the drama and left caring deeply about the fate of the characters, their struggle against 1930s America’s racist society and the revelations about the nature of courage.

Never out of print since 1960, and constantly featuring in print and online polls for favourite novels, Harper Lee’s sweet, sad, story, which many believe to be semi-autobiographical (the author remains famously silent on her motivation) was adapted for the stage almost 45 years ago.

This production is as fresh as a daisy, with a clever and imaginative design by Jon Bausor. At first the stage looks wide open and empty, but the cast move across, around and up and down it with huge versatility, filling in the gaps with leaps of imagination just like the ones you make when you read a book, a motif echoed by the semi-narrated nature of the play.

There are, as you would hope, some amazing performances: Daniel Betts, as Atticus, is wise, measured, firm and fair but with an edge of humour, and I felt Jamie Kenna, as Heck Tate, really expanded a minor character into a fully-fledged role.

The actors who play the three young roles are amazing. This week in Bath they are Ava Potter as Scout, making her professional debut with a brilliant performance, completely convincing in both emotional depth and accent; Connor Brundish as Dill, a nervous flickering sprite of a boy and Arthur Franks as Jem, developing a real sibling relationship with his younger sister and showing signs of impending adulthood.

If I have a regret it is that in cutting the book for the stage, lots of the lovely humourous moments are lost in favour of elements essential to the plot. This is definitely one to see if you can: you might have to queue for standing tickets or returns, but it will be worth it.