>> actor >> and performer John G Riley has had a storied career from pulling at People's Heartstrings in the film adaptation of the musical Chicago to making comedy classics like Step Brothers.

And now touring his own vaudeville show, Mr.

Romantic.

>> you know, you lost no >> relied too?

>> Riley has been performing as Mister Romantic for about 4 years now and is bringing the carrier character back to Chicago.

Audience is just in time for the holidays and joining us now is Chicago native John.

See Riley, welcome home.

It's good to have you here.

Thank you very much.

It's great to be at W t Tw.

Isn't it, though?

Yeah, this was a super channel for me.

Growing up.

>> It was Monte Python or Dr.

Who I claudius.

I mean, this channel really shaped a lot of my taste as a kid.

giving your career is what you're for a lot of good So let's talk about Mister Romantic.

The show opens with your character again.

Mister Romantic appearing out of a steamer trunk as we saw with the only knowledge that he's got to put on a show and he's got a fall in love with someone that night.

>> That's right.

How did you find inspiration for this?

Well, inspiration was really all the songs that I sing in the in the show.

Yeah.

I call the kind of an emotional magic show and the way >> or of show.

But really it's us character that the improvised around the songs, these incredible timeless love songs, most of them from the American songbook and we did it.

That's SEP most last November.

And it was a big hit.

We think played 3 or 4 nights there and we're going to play again this December from, you know, December 10th 13th in it was really, really special to get back to step of a place where I've performed before.

lot of friends there.

And it was really cool to bring the show, which is a very theatrical show to a theater all.

We all can play music venues and stuff like that.

yeah, it's a really special show.

It's a show about empathy and love and connecting with people and loving people.

Even if you don't know So, yeah, it's been a very fulfilling few years with the show as mentions like you said, you've been doing this show for a few years now and you've said that no night is ever the same.

>> What might change from night to night?

Well, the songs we mix the songs up.

So if you came last year, that's going to be a lot of new songs that we do.

But also the show, you know, I go out into the audience and I try to meet someone in the audience to try to get them to fall in love with me.

And I will explain how but >> I fail every time totally appropriate that whatever happened.

somehow iPhone love the whole audience.

yeah, so yeah, its really guided.

It's a lot of improvisation.

You not go out into the crowd and then meet people and talk with them and, you know, it sounds kind of silly, maybe at first like talking about people about being a lover, trying to get them to fall in love with you.

But when you talk about what love is and and could you love someone forever, the conversation gets surprisingly deep, really fast.

But I keep it really like there's a lot of joking around and pantomime some brilliant musicians that I have with me.

This quartet of musicians and we're taking it all over the world to this point.

Have to say we have like 100% betting batting average with audiences by the end of the night, everyone really feels connected and and willing to give love a trial, which was the whole point of doing this show.

You know, yes, what was going to ask account?

What has the reception from our audience has been like?

And have you had any success?

Has anybody fallen in love with during?

Well, like I said, show is kind of way so that I do.

It's this eternal quest.

>> And in order for it to stay eternal, I do feel of the show, but again, also succeed every show, too, because if there's a lot of love generate in the audience, I was just thinking a few years ago like, well, the world's going to be kind of a hard place and empathy is kind of gone out of fashion.

And I thought, well, what can I do about that?

And I've never been great at picket signs are running for office or anything.

So I thought, well, I can and dance and I can tell people I love them and maybe that's my contribution.

And so far it really ought insist really, really responded.

You can feel people soaking it up like just the song's alone.

You can feel them soaking it up like a sponge, you and first to come like this going to be a smart Erwin ever like this.

John Riley in it, it's not John Riley.

It's Mister Romantic and then you see the shoulders, relax and they realize the show really does have this innocent mission of trying to connect us.

Also.

I really hope people come out this up and see it again.

It's a it's a really special place to see the show.

I've had Mr.

Cellophane stuck in my head.

Oh, of course.

Your number from the musical and it Mr.

Romantic in some way an extension of hymns are absolutely, you know, when I did and Chicago, the musical.

>> It was nominated for an Oscar all this attention.

40 has this incredible song was a self and >> and I thought I I grew up doing musicals on the South Side Dana, ton of them.

And I thought, wow, I really like playing this kind of character.

And he is also vogl Cook sort of character in Chicago.

I thought, well, I should take it on tour, but he only has one So I started collecting songs over the years that I thought were in that same pocket of like, you know, a vaudevillian guide with his heart on his sleeve.

Just looking for love.

And it took a long time.

It took 20 years to get the courage and the songs that I felt really we know held up in that kind of environment.

So, yeah, it's it's it's been an incredible thing.

I have to say.

You know, I have a pretty good movie career.

I've done really well in my life.

And this is a way to kind of give back to audiences and connect with people again and then share my heart with people.

Sounds like it is also a labor of love.

Absolutely.

absolutely.

We have a clip from just over 20 years ago was the last time that you were in the Chicago tonight studio.

And here you are talking about being back in Chicago with Bob >> You know, because I have these landmarks in my life that happened.

He write it gives me some sense of perspective.

You know, come back.

I see my mom's old John look the same.

She comes up to the hotel.

We have some room service and catch up and it it really shows you how lucky I am.

Every time I come back to Chicago because you know, I wasn't shows ever going to leave Chicago and Europe's I've seen the world.

You those does mom say that, John, how much does this cost?

That's sure.

But we were over the room last night.

That's like, you know, like the sports page from my mom looking at how much the health >> Chicago hot dog, Thinkpad documents will be $12.

Yeah.

Cries of only got up then yeah, my mom passed away since the interview.

So it's bittersweet to see it.

>> But I have to say, you know, one of the people who inspired me to do this show is my mom.

She taught me a lot of these songs around the player.

Piano on the piano in our house, a lot of these old classics about love.

So it's really like carrying on her mission.

My mom was a really loving person who thought of everyone first all the time before herself.

So it was a selfless, selfless mission.

She was on and she's definitely passed on to me.

Yes, on the stage with you, it sounds like.

>> I'm getting to a couple of your other projects before we have to let you go.

You've been leaning into, as you said, projects about empathy and interconnected human experience.

And you became an executive producer for the short documentary, Stalin Boys.

About middle school students and one particular who's very interested in Joseph Stalin.

And they make a play about Joseph Stalin.

Briefly, tell us about that documentary.

What Drew you to their story?

>> Well, as on The New York Times, one of these op talks, if they present a New York Times and The New York Times website and I clicked on it and I was like, wow, that kid reminds me of myself of the theater kid growing been doing plays since I was 8 years old and that imaginative kind of inspired like passionate, you King was something I really related to.

So, you know, I just told a few people about it.

I sent the film around.

And next thing I know the filmmakers reached out to me like would you help us get a little wind in our sails?

You know, we're trying to get and Oscar nomination for the short film.

And I thought, Yeah, I mean, it's about these kids in this dusty little town called marathon, the middle of Texas.

And they and they put on this kind of historical playing about Joseph Stalin.

sounds crazy and it is crazy.

But it's really a portrait of young imagination.

And also these teachers that are incredibly supportive and encouraging.

And now these people like they went to this little town of became teachers and it just reminded me, you know, everyone starts from a small place.

I started from the field house at Market Park on the southwest side doing plays I thought like that's what these kids These kids need a hand up to.

So I decided out, put my name on.

And if meant that the makes more people watch, it's great.

You know, that's a future.

Jhansi Riley.

Maybe.

Alright.

will have to leave it.

A pleasure to have you back in studio Johnson right.

>> Thanks so much public.