2's Got Your Ticket: Highway Patrol
CHICAGO (CBS) -- She made a name for herself on television, but now, Dana Delany is on stage at the Goodman Theatre, telling a very personal and unusual tale.
With 2's Got Your Ticket, CBS 2 Entertainment Reporter Vince Gerasole sat down with Delany, who stars in "Highway Patrol."
The Emmy Award-winner shared her experience that started with a social media connection.
Delany is a captivating and bankable star. In "Highway Patrol" she's opening up with a cautionary tale from her own life.
She's known to audiences for her two-time Emmy-winning performance as a nurse in "China Beach" set during the Vietnam War. Delaney is recognized as one of the always-in-peril suburbanites from "Desperate Housewives."
Recently, she starred as a medical examiner in "Body of Proof." Her experience there gave rise to the narrative in "Highway Patrol" with what begins as an online encounter with a sick young boy turning into a complex relationship between Delaney and the teen.
The entire evening is based on the texts, tweets, and emails between them.
"The backstory is when I was shooting "Body of Proof," they asked me to go on Twitter to promote the show. And Twitter was just in the beginning stages then. It was wonderful, actually," remembered Delaney.
"I've met people I'm still friends with that I'd never known before. I met this one boy, a 13-year-old boy who had some health issues, and I just ended up really caring for him and worrying about him because he was so young and so enthusiastic that we developed a private relationship."
It took a dramatic turn.
"There were a few surprises along the way," Delaney said, who saved her communication with the 13-year-old.
"We had DMs, we had emails, we had tweets. I call it the archive, and I thought 'This is a really good story,'" Delaney said.
A lot has changed since the early days of social media. Delaney remembered that time fondly.
"Back then you could find your own little niche. You could follow classic films. I ended up giving advice to a lot of young women who seemed to see me as some type of role model. So it was whatever you wanted it it be," Delaney said.
What does Delaney think the story's message regarding society and social media?
"Well, we know there is a pandemic of loneliness right now. And I think that is connected to social media. But we need to look at that and how we so desperately want to connect. And maybe that's not the best way to do it," she said.
The evening unfolds like a mystery and Delaney is on stage for almost the entire two-hour run. "Highway Patrol" is on stage at the Goodman Theatre through February 18th.