Keep The Meter Running

Kareem hails a New York City yellow cab and finds himself back in the cab of Irish John, one of the most memorable drivers from the very first season of Keep The Meter Running. John takes Kareem to his favorite butcher shop in his longtime Queens neighborhood, where stories of old New York flow as easily as the sandwiches. But what begins as a return visit quickly turns into something much bigger when Kareem decides it's finally time to make good on a promise he made years ago: producing John's one-man play for a sold-out audience... the very next night. John has spent more than four decades driving a yellow cab while quietly building a life as a playwright, radio host, and storyteller. His autobiographical play, Off the Meter, draws on a lifetime of unforgettable passengers, dangerous nights, and the strange, hilarious moments that only happen inside a New York City taxi. Although the play once found success, years away from the stage and the grind of everyday life have slowly worn down the optimism Kareem first admired in him. What starts as a casual lunch becomes a race against the clock to convince John that his story is still worth telling and that it's never too late to step back into the spotlight. 
 

John McDonagh is a New York City playwright, radio host, storyteller, political activist, and veteran Yellow Cab driver whose life and work have become part of the fabric of New York City. After serving in the U.S. Army in Germany during the Vietnam era, he returned to New York and began a forty-year career behind the wheel of a Yellow Cab, collecting the stories and experiences that would later inspire his writing and performances. McDonagh is the longtime producer and host of the weekly WBAI/Pacifica radio programs Radio Free Eireann and has also co-hosted programs with the late Malachy McCourt, bringing Irish culture, politics, and New York stories to listeners for decades.