WINTER GARDEN, Fla. – Step back in time to 1955, in a little town where the mayor is imposing new laws prohibiting loud music, tight pants, and basically anything fun. A guitar-playing young man steps in, shaking it all up with everything and everyone he meets. The townspeople become encouraged to step out of their mundane lives and want to experience something more.
“All Shook Up” is loosely based on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, featuring songs from Elvis Presley.
The musical features hits like “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Hound Dog,” “Jailhouse Rock,” and “Don’t Be Cruel.”
John Rochette plays the motor-cycling, guitar-playing young man, Chad.
“He doesn’t leave a mess in his wake, he teaches suppressed towns and people how to love. How to open their hearts. How to see one another through heart-shaped glasses. He represents emotional freedom. Freedom to dream. Freedom to love. Freedom to get out of the ruts people fall into,” Rochette said.
His impressive credits include Jersey Boys on Broadway, on tour, and the upcoming film.
He said he and his wife lived in Manhattan and New Jersey for 10 years and were ready for a change. His wife grew up in New Orleans and he spent summers in West Palm Beach, so they started looking for their next home in Florida. A realtor introduced them to Winter Garden and they fell in love.
“It felt like a Hallmark movie. We felt at home. One of the crown jewels for us was the adorable Garden Theatre. Wow, I thought, what if I could make this theatre my new home base? Next thing you know, we bought a home 7 minutes from the Garden. A year later, we’re happily settled in, raising our two beautiful children in sunny Winter Garden, Florida,” said Rochette.
Stephanie Zandra plays Sylvia, the no-nonsense owner of the town’s local honky-tonk.
Zandra said Sylvia reminds her of her own mother.
“Before she married my dad, she was a single mother and a business owner. She’d had some tough loves and losses early in life and she had to endure and persevere for the sake of her sons. I dedicate my portrayal of Sylvia to my mother because she taught me what it is to be a complex woman and to fight for my place in the world,” Zandra said.
Zandra said she first got into acting when she was 10 years old and landed a role in Disney’s “Selma, Lord, Selma.”
“From there, I received training and experience with the Freddie Hendricks Youth Ensemble of Atlanta and I performed with them from 8th grade until I graduated from high school. I’ve gone on to perform at several theatres and companies in the Atlanta area and Sarasota, FL as well as Royal Caribbean Cruises and Celebrity Cruises,” Zandra said.
Robb Winn Anderson is the Producing Creative Director for the Garden Theatre and the director of the musical. He’s also in charge of the choreography.
He says meetings for the show began in November, and then the cast rehearsed 6 days a week for 3 weeks.
There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes work that goes into putting together a show.
“Hiring the designers and production team, the cast, the crew. Rehearsing and then putting all of the technical elements into play, and then opening! It is a months-long process for each show,” said Anderson.
He says opening weekend for the musical was their first sold-out weekend in a long time.
You can still catch the show through March 10th. Click here for ticket information.
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