Audience favorite and showman, Charles Phoenix returns to the Curtis this October to present his Retro Disneyland Slideshow. Charles has delighted fans from coast to coast with his live performances, slideshows, food crafting & test kitchen, not to mention the numerous coffee table books he has published over the years. What connects all them all? The unique wit and flair that only Charles Phoenix can offer.
Charles brings us back to celebrate and toast the early days of Disneyland, when the park was new and Tomorrowland represented the ‘faraway year of 1986’. Disney fans and audiences alike will delight with photographs and backstories of the theme park, along with Charles’ keen eye for detail. We were lucky enough to ask Charles a few questions about the performance, and the inspiration for his slideshows. He graciously invited us in for a tour of CharlesPhoenixLand —
How did you first get interested in slides?
I got interested in collecting other people’s old slides when I discovered a big box of them in a thrift shop in 1992. The box was marked “Trip Across the United States, 1957.” I held a few up to the light, was hooked immediately, and have been collecting ever since.
The world is like a great big theme park, we live in a wonderland to discover, and there is something interesting around every corner no matter where you go!
Who or what is your biggest inspiration for the art that you create?
To cherish our history, look for greatness and when you find it put in on a pedestal and tell its story for the whole world to enjoy. That’s what I’m doing.
What’s your favorite part of performing for a live audience?
The immediate response. The connection. I also always enjoy the Q&A part of the show. You never know what they are going to ask …
Do you have any lucky charms or pre-show rituals you always do before going on stage?
Not really … the only thing that I’m slightly superstitious about is that I ALWAYS keep my vintage sparkly Colonel Sanders style western bow ties rolled in the inside breast pocket of the jacket I wear them with. Other than that no … but I never take for granted what a privilege it is to be able to stand on a stage in a theater and share my passion with an audience.
If your show was an animal, what animal would it be?
Hopefully a 500-pound gorilla, or a standard poodle dyed periwinkle blue (w/ vegetable dye, of course) or a pink elephant that flies …
What do you hope we walk away from the show feeling?
I want my audiences to walk away with a sense of local and national pride. A feeling of shared enthusiasm for the pop culture that we’ve all experienced together. Also, the joy of realizing the world is like a great big theme park, we live in a wonderland to discover, and there is something interesting around every corner no matter where you go!
Charles Phoenix’s Retro Disneyland Slideshow performs Oct 14-15, 2017. Saturday at 8PM, Sunday at 3PM. Tickets are on sale now. Visit our website or call the Box Office at 714-990-7722 Tues-Fri 12PM-3PM. Have questions? Contact us!
Curtis Theatre Blog 