"IS there a way to be good again?" is a question that is at the core of The Kite Runner.

It is certainly a challenge to bring the acclaimed bestseller to the stage as there is a lot of overlying emotions from so many diverse characters to focus on during two and half hours.

This well-paced adaptation ticks all the boxes.

It is based on Khaled Hosseini’s international novel which was published twenty years ago and adapted by Mathew Spangler and directed by Giles Croft.

This Broadway and West End hit - is a slick and stylish production that uses subtle projection visuals as a background to the passionate, earthy, brutal, sensitive and witty dialogue.

Music from accomplished tabla player Hanif Khan greets audiences when they enter the theatre and he returns to the stage producing incidental sounds that add to the overall atmosphere throughout. Full credit to composer and musical director Jonathan Girling.

It is a haunting tale of friendship that spans cultures and continents over decades following one man’s journey to re-address his past and eventually find redemption.

Narrator Amir (Stuart Vincent) recalls 1970s Afghanistan on the verge of war. An innocent, joyous kite- flying tournament turns into tragedy and metaphorically falls to the ground to shatter lives - forever causing a damaging domino effect.

Amir is a successful writer living with his wife in California and is forced to re-visit his past but also given a chance to redeem the wrongs of both himself and his father.

Amir's best pal was his servant Hassan (Yasdan Qafouri) who is looked after by his father Ali (Tiran Aakel). The two friends are victimised by members of the Pashtun community, particularly a boy called Assef.

Likeable and loyal Hassan is one of the fastest kite-runners in Kabul and protects Amir from trouble but when the time comes for Hassan to need protection Amir hides in an alleyway. Haunted by his cowardice Amir makes life impossible for Ali and Hassan who eventually leave despite the pleading of Amir’s father Baba.

With the Russian control of Afghanistan becoming unbearable, Baba and Amir leave Afghanistan in an empty fuel tanker and escape first to Pakistan and then to America where Amir graduates from high school.

The play focuses more on Afghanistan and Pakistan and less - as in the novel - on Amir’s life in the USA. There is a satisfying twist in the storytelling, which is perfectly conveyed.

Indeed, the end of the first half and final scenes are beautifully carried out with just the right amount of pathos to tug at the heart strings.

The Kite Runner is ideally suited for the Playhouse where it first appeared as a co-production in 2013 - a timeless tale of so many themes from class and ethnicity; to immigration and refugees and guilt and regret.

It is ultimately a love story and one that will always hit a chord as this solid adaptation showed when the versatile 12 strong cast received a rapturous reception on opening night.

VERDICT: Four stars - powerful and poignant

The production is on until Saturday