It’s the show that launched the career of Britain’s favourite choreographer.

Early Adventures is a collection of some of Matthew Bourne’s first successes.

Showing at the Lighthouse Poole the three pieces give an insight into the early machinations of Bourne’s witty and irreverent style.

Watch With Mother hasn’t been seen for nearly 25 years.

Set to Joyce Grenfell’s Nursery School sketches and Percy Grainger’s own piano compositions of Bach and Faure - it’s the touching story of a gay schoolboy, heartbroken at the sight of his two friends kissing and gut-wrenchingly played by Joao Carolino, whose youthful face is perfect for the role.

Town and Country is a pastiche of the English character and the piece gave Bourne and his dance company their first Olivier Award in 1992.

A poke at national pride and our love of the bucolic English countryside it includes a three minute potted revue of Brief Encounter - complete with repressed gentlemen waiters - and a funny imagining of how clog dancing might have come about. Set to Noel Coward, Elgar and Percy Grainger it really does make you ‘lie back and think of England.’

But the standout piece for me is the third ‘act,’ The Infernal Galop.

Three gay Parisians cruise around the city’s iconic pissoirs - and you realise just what a perfect vehicle for expressing male homo-erotica modern ballet is.

When a troupe of gaudy dancers in red berets with maracas repeatedly thwart the couple’s love-making, it’s both hilarious and tragic at the same time.

The costumes in this set are the best of the lot - stripy Breton tops and high waisted pants with flashes of red are visually compelling.

Joao Carolino again excels, this time as a merman in La Mer, three sailors doubling as waves for him to elegantly splash about in. It’s a beautifully harmonic - and nostalgic - expression of love for the sea and shows off Carolino’s true grace - the dancer oozes Bourne from his core right through to his fingertips.nly 25 years.

Ending with a military style version of the can-can and a triumphant ‘vive la revolution’ complete with fireworks and a glitter bomb, the piece has the audience in raptures and really does leave you wanting more.

Tightly choreographed to fit the small stage the only problem with this production is that the sets don’t feel quite grand enough to honour this great choreographer’s work.