Only the best stage productions can take a theatre full of people on a freezing February evening and make them feel like they are sweating in the dense, sticky Vietnamese jungle.

The attention to detail in the Prince Edward Theatre’s revival of Miss Saigon is so stunning that at times you look back to check a chirping cricket has not leapt upon your shoulder or that a real US Army Huey helicopter has not landed on the balcony above.

The venue’s temperature, sights, smells and incredible sound effects really do make you feel like you have been teleported to a humid suburb of Saigon.

Conveying the chaos and terror among civilians during a messy war is no easy task but Cameron Mackintosh’s Miss Saigon makes use of a stage set which is rivaled only by War Horse in London’s present West End productions.

The story sees US serviceman ‘Chris’ (played by Alistair Brammer) fall in love with a Vietnamese bar girl (Kim played by Eva Noblezada) before returning home to America as the war nears a conclusion.

This doomed romance sees Chris struggle with his post-war life before settling down with a new family in the states. However, little does he know that his fleeting Asian romance has produced a son which causes Kim to become an outcast in her homeland.

Her troubles worsen when she refuses the affection of Officer Thuy to whom she was promised as his wife since her childhood, who then threatens to killer little boy.

War, distance, betrayal and a good old-fashioned dose of tragedy mean Kim’s true love for Chris leads to a life of anguish and fear before the pair meet again in the city of Bangkok for an emotional reunion.

This production is both powerfully acted and superbly sung with a truly convincing romance between the conflicted Chris and beautifully vulnerable Kim.

However, the biggest cheer of the night was reserved for the pair’s son, played by an impossibly cute toddler who was at times flung around the stage like a rag doll amid the battle over‘what was best’ for an innocent war child.

Laurence Connor’s production is a simmering cauldron of tension from start to finish with a beautiful and seemingly effortless flow throughout.

Noblezada’s stunning performance moved half of the audience to tears while the chilling soundtrack left the West End audience feeling like they were caught in the crossfire.