INDEPENDENT TD Michael Lowry will take to the stage tonight to perform in the Christmas community pantomine at the Source Arts Centre in Thurles.

Lowry is making a one-off guest appearance in the closing night performance of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, playing the 'good mayor', who is drugged into a deep sleep by 'Mayor Ghastly' who takes over the town.

The former minister will spend about 15 minutes on stage, appearing first in bed where he is woken by magic, and then saving the children of Hamelin before participating in a medley of Christmas songs.

Speaking to the Sunday Tribune this weekend, the Tipperary North poll-topping deputy said the pantomime was a "fun night for kids and their parents" and would be a "bit of craic". He joked that it was "the festive season and I suppose you could say my life is a bit of a pantomime, so this drama is nothing new to me".

Lowry's niece is also in the cast of the drama which is being put on by the local musical and drama societies. The panto has run for the past week featuring a range of local personalities in the role of the good mayor, which will be filled by Lowry tonight. The production is interspersed with visuals about life in Thurles.