He ruffled feathers among the ballet purists with a half-naked all-male ensemble in Swan Lake. He turned Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands into a gothic fairytale, transformed Bizet’s Carmen into a slice of 1950s Americana, and turned classic ballet Nutcracker into a fantasy world of dancing sweets.

Now maverick choreographer Matthew Bourne has turned his attention to Oscar Wilde’s gothic fable about an alluring young man who makes a pact with the Devil.

Bourne’s New Adventures dance company has turned Dorian Gray into a darkly seductive dance theatre event, a ‘black fairytale’ set in the image-obsessed world of contemporary art and politics.

Dorian Gray, the first new production from New Adventures in three years, comes to Bradford direct from sell-out success in London and at the Edinburgh Festival. The 21st century makeover of Wilde’s classic makes its only Yorkshire stop at the Alhambra. More than a decade ago, the director and choreographer Bourne sent gasps rippling through the theatre world by transforming Swan Lake in to a striking, witty contemporary tale with extravagant designs. Here was a prince falling for a buff, bare-chested male swan in knee-length feathers, thrilling audiences with an audacious pas de deux. Hailed a theatrical landmark, it toured the world, won countless awards and became the longest-running ballet in the West End and Broadway.

As a boy, Matthew Bourne would lose himself in films, from dark thrillers to Hollywood musicals. After discovering dance at the relatively geriatric age of 22, he started channelling the art of storytelling through movement. Today he’s an internationally-acclaimed choreographer and director, a dance maverick whose work has turned classical ballet on its head.

Matthew founded independent dance company New Adventures more than two decades ago. Its repertoire, performed worldwide, includes some of the most successful dance productions of the last two decades – Swan Lake, Nutcracker!, Play Without Words and Edward Scissorhands. He also choreographed the West End productions of Mary Poppins and My Fair Lady.

His trademark is visual splendour and world-class dance presented in stylish tales. But the softly-spoken Walthamstow lad, who started off putting on shows in his bedroom as a child, insists his heart lies in films and family musicals.

“There are film references throughout my work, they make a theatrical production more accessible,” says Matthew.

He has done wonders for making ballet more accessible and inspiring boys to start dancing, and has managed to pull in big teenage audiences.

“What I create is dance theatre,” he says. “If you wouldn’t normally go to a ballet or opera, a classical interpretation may alienate you, but in my shows there’s humour and characters you can identify with.”

Dorian Gray runs at the Alhambra from July 2 to 4 2009. For tickets ring (01274) 432000.