Dunne's stage plan is utter madness

It had to happen, we suppose – a radio presenter discards his headphones for a chance to hop about onstage in a pair of baggy trousers.

Perhaps we need to explain: Newstalk presenter Tom Dunne, once a member of Irish rock band Something Happens, will be joining the cast of Our House, the Madness musical which arrives with a shake of its hips at Dublin’s Olympia theatre on Friday June 15th/Saturday June 16th.

Dunne will sing My Girl, the performing of which is the achievement of a personal dream. “On the no side,” he says, “I’ve never acted before – but the producers knew that. On the yes side, it’s Madness, it’s the Olympia, and it’s the chance to do something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

The show – which won a Laurence Olivier Award for best new musical, and enjoyed a 10-month run in London’s West End – features 20 Madness songs, including Driving in my Car, House of Fun, My Girl and Baggy Trousers. All cast members, meanwhile, will be giving their time and energy free of charge in order to raise funds for Console, a free nationwide professional suicide prevention and bereavement charity that offers counseling support and 24-hour helpline services to those affected or bereaved by suicide.

Tickets for the shows (€28.50-€29.50) are available from ticketmaster.ieor 0818-719 300.