John Callaway brings personal stories to life

John Callaway is best known as an interviewer. He was the long- time host of WTTW's interview show, "Chicago Tonight." And before that he had a distinguished career as a broadcast journalist.

But what is less well-known about Callaway is that he loves storytelling.

"In my 'Chicago Tonight' life, I was often invited to make speeches full of political or economic analysis. And over the years whenever I made a speech I would throw in these stories, like how I hitchhiked to Chicago with 71 cents in my pocket. And I found," Callaway pauses to laugh, "people were more interested in my stories than in my economic and political analysis."

After a lifetime of collecting these autobiographical stories, Callaway began to think he might like to gather them together into a theater piece.

"Arlene Crewdson (at Pegasus Players) found out I was thinking about putting my stories on the stage and offered me the space. At first I was just going to tell my stories and then in the second act I was going to answer questions from the audience. But when I was working on the material with my son-in-law, Dan Foster, who is a director, he analyzed the material, and psychoanalyzed me, and helped me shape the material to the point where I think the first act works as a 75-minute (one-person) play."

Then he adds quickly: "I want to make clear, I am a storyteller, not an actor." But he does have a lifetime of stories.

In the second act, Callaway still finds time to show a montage of pieces from his TV show, sing a couple of songs and even turn the microphone over to the audience.

"After 45 years of me asking the questions," he says, "the audience gets to ask the questions for a change and I will answer them."

John Callaway is currently performing at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights, through May 5. For tickets and show times, call (847) 577-2121 or visit www.metropolisarts.com.