EVERY one of C S Lewis’s Narnia novels have fantastical settings but Voyage of the Dawn Treader takes the biscuit.

Some of the action is set upon a “dragon ship”, no less. It seems a tall order for an amateur theatre group – albeit a very experienced one – to recreate such an image but, according to the show’s director, there are ways and means.

“We have built half of the ship and put wheels on it so it can move around,” says Steve Adams, a longtime member and director in Brighton Little Theatre. “We project the sea on to the wall behind the ship and it should look pretty impressive, I think.”

BLT put on the better-known Narnia novel The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe a few years back and the group have intended to follow up on that ever since. “I’m a big fan of the Narnia series – I remember reading all of the books between the ages of 12 and 14,” says Steve.

There is one book in between Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe in the Narnia chronology, but Steve deems Prince Caspian to be a lesser work than the one he and his troupe are tackling. “Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a bigger adventure,” he says.

Two familiar Narnia characters feature in this production. Edmund and Lucy, who many readers will remember tumbling through the wardrobe, are now accompanied by their irritating cousin Eustace on a madcap adventure at sea. The three children are reunited with Caspian – the ruler of Narnia – and join him on a mission to find seven missing lords and ladies.

Along the way, they encounter dragons, invisible creatures, slave traders and mists that have the power to turn people mad. It’s a typically colourful universe that C S Lewis portrays and you can see why it captured the imagination of a generation of young bookworms. But does Lewis’s work still captivate now?

“The books are still read quite a lot, especially in schools,” Steve says. “Our version is modernised – the dialogue of the children isn’t the stilted con - versation of the 1940s. They don’t sound terribly, terribly posh now.”  The director adds that the “subtle morality” of the Narnia books, as well as the escapism they offer, ensures they are endlessly relevant. “They always make the point that good will triumph over evil, but you’re not hit over the head with a sledgehammer with that morality,” he says.

As for the various creatures that can be found in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – including Reepicheep, a valiant mouse – it takes a lot of “fantastical make-up” to replicate them on stage. “We don’t get our cast to wear full animal costumes, though,” says Steve. “We’re not dressing them up as man-sized mice.”

The last two Christmas shows put on BLT have been The Wizard of Oz and It’s A Wonderful Life, which should give you an idea of the range the cast are capable of. Life seems pretty wonderful at the theatre at the moment, with the group looking to expand on their current headquarters in Clarence Square and due to start a fundraising campaign soon.

The theatre relies on volunteers giving over their evenings a few times a week, and there have been some unex - pected results of the close bond between members. “Quite a few couples have been formed here,” says Steve. “It’s a very social thing to do.” At BLT, it seems the magic is not confined to the stage.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Brighton Little Theatre, December 8 to 16. Various times. To book tickets and for more information visit brightonlittletheatre.com