Andy Karl
Encyclopedia
'Andy Karl' is an American actor and singer, best known for performing in musical theatre. He has appeared on Broadway
in the original productions of Legally Blonde
and 9 to 5
, as well as appearing in Wicked
.
, where he was on the football team and performed in theater. In high school he played Jud Fry in "Oklahoma!
" and General Bullmoose in Li'l Abner
. At age 16 he performed as the title role in Aladdin at the White Marsh Dinner Theatre. After high school he attended Towson State University, where he studied voice and music. Karl originally planned on becoming a voice teacher until the director of a show he was in at college told him he had what it took to be a professional actor. Karl continued to perform in shows while in college. He played the 7½ foot dragon in the children's musical The Reluctant Dragon at Toby's Dinner Theatre in Columbia, Maryland
in the Winter of 1993–1994.
and in 1998 played Rum Tum Tugger in the touring cast of Cats
. In February 2000 Karl was an understudy in the New York premiere of Sondheim's Saturday Night
at the Second Stage Theatre
. He made his Broadway
debut in 2000 as the replacement for Joey in Saturday Night Fever
. He continued with the production, this time in the role of Tony Manero, in its first national tour. In 2001 he performed in the musical stage production Me and Mrs. Jones at the Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia.
Karl was next seen as Dino Del Canto in the world premiere of the musical Romeo and Bernadette at the Coconut Grove Playhouse in Miami, Florida. The show, which ran in January 2003, garnered Karl a Carbonell Award for Best Actor in a musical. He reprised the role at the Paper Mill Playhouse
in Milburn, New Jersey in February and March, 2003.
Karl was also seen at the Paper Mill Playhouse
later that year, when he performed as Danny Zuko in Grease
from June to July in 2003. In January 2004 he performed in the musical revue Nights on Broadway II at Caesar's Palace in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Karl played Luke in the premiere of Altar Boyz
at the New York Musical Theatre Festival
in September 2004. He then left the New York area to tour in the original company of Disney's On the Record. Karl returned to New York to play Luke in the Off-Broadway production of Altar Boyz
, which opened on March 1, 2005 at Stage 4 of Dodger Stages (now New World Stages
).
On September 26, 2005, Karl performed in the Actor's Fund Concert production of On the Twentieth Century
. Karl's next role was the title character Adam Patterson in the Off-Broadway musical Slut at the American Theatre of Actors in Fall 2005.
In January 2006 Karl was in the three-person cast of Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love, a celebration of the music of Elvis Presley
, at the now-closed Au Bar. In June and July of that year, Karl starred as Tad in the musical Bright Lights, Big City
at the Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia. He then joined the Broadway cast of The Wedding Singer
at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre
, where he played the roles of Drunk Dave and Bad Haircut Guy until the show closed at the end of 2006.
Karl's next role was in Legally Blonde
, where he played Kyle "the UPS guy", Dewey, and Grandmaster Chad at the Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco, where the musical had its pre-Broadway tryout from January 23 to February 24, 2007. He reprised his roles in the Broadway production, which started previews on April 3 and opened on April 29, 2007 at the Palace Theatre
. He was also an understudy to Emmett and Professor Callahan. He left the show on July 20, 2008.
Karl briefly left Legally Blonde in June 2007 to work on 9 to 5
in its week-long workshop. After leaving Legally Blonde, Karl continued working on the musical 9 to 5
. He played Joe, the love interest of Allison Janney's character, in the pre-Broadway tryout in Los Angeles. The show played at the Ahmanson Theatre from September 3 to October 19, 2008. The show opened on Broadway on April 30, 2009 at the Marquis Theatre
, and closed on September 6, 2009.
Karl took over the role of Fiyero from Kevin Kern in the Broadway production of Wicked
on February 2, 2010. He left the show January 2, 2011 and was succeeded by Kyle McDaniel, until Kyle Dean Massey
stepped into the role permanently on January 25.
He will take over the role Tommy Devito in the Broadway production of Jersey Boys
on October 11, 2011.
He can be heard on the original cast recordings for Altar Boyz, On the Record, Legally Blonde, and 9 to 5: The Musical.
while in Saturday Night Fever
together. They were married in January 2001 and now reside in Manhattan. In addition to Saturday Night Fever, they have also been seen together in "Me and Mrs. Jones," "Nights on Broadway II," Bright Lights, Big City
, and Legally Blonde
.
Off-Broadway
Tours
Regional
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in the original productions of Legally Blonde
Legally Blonde (musical)
Legally Blonde is a musical with music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin and book by Heather Hach. The story is based on the novel Legally Blonde by Amanda Brown and the 2001 film of the same name. It tells the story of Elle Woods, a sorority girl who enrolls at Harvard Law School to...
and 9 to 5
9 to 5 (musical)
9 to 5: The Musical is a stage musical with music and lyrics by Dolly Parton and a book by Patricia Resnick, based on the 1980 movie Nine to Five...
, as well as appearing in Wicked
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
.
Early life
Andy Karl was born in Baltimore, Maryland to Walter and Susan. He attended Towson High SchoolTowson High School
Towson High School is a high school in Baltimore County, Maryland, founded in 1873. The school's current stone structure was built in 1949. Located in the northern Baltimore suburb of Towson and serving the surrounding communities of Towson, Lutherville, and Ruxton, it is part of the Baltimore...
, where he was on the football team and performed in theater. In high school he played Jud Fry in "Oklahoma!
Oklahoma!
Oklahoma! is the first musical written by composer Richard Rodgers and librettist Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, Green Grow the Lilacs. Set in Oklahoma Territory outside the town of Claremore in 1906, it tells the story of cowboy Curly McLain and his romance...
" and General Bullmoose in Li'l Abner
Li'l Abner (musical)
Li'l Abner is a musical with a book by Norman Panama and Melvin Frank, music by Gene De Paul, and lyrics by Johnny Mercer.Based on the comic strip Li'l Abner by Al Capp, the show is, on the surface, a broad spoof of hillbillies but is also a pointed satire taking on any number of topics, ranging...
. At age 16 he performed as the title role in Aladdin at the White Marsh Dinner Theatre. After high school he attended Towson State University, where he studied voice and music. Karl originally planned on becoming a voice teacher until the director of a show he was in at college told him he had what it took to be a professional actor. Karl continued to perform in shows while in college. He played the 7½ foot dragon in the children's musical The Reluctant Dragon at Toby's Dinner Theatre in Columbia, Maryland
Columbia, Maryland
Columbia is a planned community that consists of ten self-contained villages, located in Howard County, Maryland, United States. It began with the idea that a city could enhance its residents' quality of life. Creator and developer James W. Rouse saw the new community in terms of human values, not...
in the Winter of 1993–1994.
Career
Andy Karl moved to New York in 1994. He was an understudy in the touring cast of The Who's TommyThe Who's Tommy
The Who's Tommy is a rock musical by Pete Townshend and Des McAnuff based on The Who's 1969 double album rock opera Tommy, also by Pete Townshend, with additional material by John Entwistle, Keith Moon and Sonny Boy Williamson.-Productions:...
and in 1998 played Rum Tum Tugger in the touring cast of Cats
Cats (musical)
Cats is a musical composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot...
. In February 2000 Karl was an understudy in the New York premiere of Sondheim's Saturday Night
Saturday Night (musical)
Saturday Night is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and the book by brothers Julius J. Epstein and Philip G. Epstein, based on their play, Front Porch in Flatbush....
at the Second Stage Theatre
Second Stage Theatre
Second Stage Theatre is an award-winning contemporary Off-Broadway theater company.-Mission:The theatre's mission is to give new life to contemporary American plays and to produce the world premiers of new plays by both established and emerging playwrights...
. He made his Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut in 2000 as the replacement for Joey in Saturday Night Fever
Saturday Night Fever (musical)
This is an article about the stage musical. For the article on the 1977 film, see Saturday Night FeverSaturday Night Fever is a musical with a book by Nan Knighton and music and lyrics by the Bee Gees.Based on Nik Cohn's 1975 New York Magazine article "Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night" and...
. He continued with the production, this time in the role of Tony Manero, in its first national tour. In 2001 he performed in the musical stage production Me and Mrs. Jones at the Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia.
Karl was next seen as Dino Del Canto in the world premiere of the musical Romeo and Bernadette at the Coconut Grove Playhouse in Miami, Florida. The show, which ran in January 2003, garnered Karl a Carbonell Award for Best Actor in a musical. He reprised the role at the Paper Mill Playhouse
Paper Mill Playhouse
Paper Mill Playhouse is a regional theatre with approximately 1200 seats, located in Millburn, New Jersey, less than 25 miles from Manhattan. Due to its location, it can draw from the pool of actors who live in New York City. Its location, as well as its focus on producing large-scale shows, makes...
in Milburn, New Jersey in February and March, 2003.
Karl was also seen at the Paper Mill Playhouse
Paper Mill Playhouse
Paper Mill Playhouse is a regional theatre with approximately 1200 seats, located in Millburn, New Jersey, less than 25 miles from Manhattan. Due to its location, it can draw from the pool of actors who live in New York City. Its location, as well as its focus on producing large-scale shows, makes...
later that year, when he performed as Danny Zuko in Grease
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
from June to July in 2003. In January 2004 he performed in the musical revue Nights on Broadway II at Caesar's Palace in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Karl played Luke in the premiere of Altar Boyz
Altar Boyz
Altar Boyz is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by Gary Adler and Michael Patrick Walker and book by Kevin Del Aguila . Centering on a fictitious Christian boy band from Ohio, the show satirizes, among other things, the phenomenon of boy bands and the popularity of Christian-themed music in...
at the New York Musical Theatre Festival
New York Musical Theatre Festival
The New York Musical Theatre Festival is an annual three-week fall Festival which presents more than thirty new musicals at venues in New York City's midtown theater district...
in September 2004. He then left the New York area to tour in the original company of Disney's On the Record. Karl returned to New York to play Luke in the Off-Broadway production of Altar Boyz
Altar Boyz
Altar Boyz is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by Gary Adler and Michael Patrick Walker and book by Kevin Del Aguila . Centering on a fictitious Christian boy band from Ohio, the show satirizes, among other things, the phenomenon of boy bands and the popularity of Christian-themed music in...
, which opened on March 1, 2005 at Stage 4 of Dodger Stages (now New World Stages
New World Stages
New World Stages, originally Dodger Stages, is an Off-Broadway venue. The architects were Beyer, Blinder, and Belle. The theatre designers were Sachs Morgan, and the interior designer was Klara Zieglerova.It is currently home to 6 shows:* Rent...
).
On September 26, 2005, Karl performed in the Actor's Fund Concert production of On the Twentieth Century
On the Twentieth Century
On the Twentieth Century is a musical with book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Cy Coleman. Part operetta, part farce, part screwball comedy, the story involves the behind-the-scenes relationship of a temperamental actress and a director.-Background:Comden and Green based...
. Karl's next role was the title character Adam Patterson in the Off-Broadway musical Slut at the American Theatre of Actors in Fall 2005.
In January 2006 Karl was in the three-person cast of Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love, a celebration of the music of Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, at the now-closed Au Bar. In June and July of that year, Karl starred as Tad in the musical Bright Lights, Big City
Bright Lights, Big City
Bright Lights, Big City may refer to: *""Bright Lights, Big City" ", a 1961 song by Jimmy Reed*Bright Lights, Big City , a 1984 novel by Jay McInerney*Bright Lights, Big City , a 1988 film based on McInerney's novel...
at the Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia. He then joined the Broadway cast of The Wedding Singer
The Wedding Singer (musical)
The Wedding Singer is a musical with music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin, and a book by Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy. It is based on the 1998 film The Wedding Singer.-Synopsis:Act 1...
at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre
Al Hirschfeld Theatre
The Al Hirschfeld Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 302 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan.Designed by architect G. Albert Lansburgh for vaudeville promoter Martin Beck, the theatre opened as the Martin Beck Theatre with a production of Madame Pompadour on November 11, 1924. It...
, where he played the roles of Drunk Dave and Bad Haircut Guy until the show closed at the end of 2006.
Karl's next role was in Legally Blonde
Legally Blonde (musical)
Legally Blonde is a musical with music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin and book by Heather Hach. The story is based on the novel Legally Blonde by Amanda Brown and the 2001 film of the same name. It tells the story of Elle Woods, a sorority girl who enrolls at Harvard Law School to...
, where he played Kyle "the UPS guy", Dewey, and Grandmaster Chad at the Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco, where the musical had its pre-Broadway tryout from January 23 to February 24, 2007. He reprised his roles in the Broadway production, which started previews on April 3 and opened on April 29, 2007 at the Palace Theatre
Palace Theatre
-Canada:* Palace Theatre, Calgary, Alberta* Palace Theatre , Montreal, Quebec - see Robillard Block-United Kingdom:* Palace Theatre, London, England* Palace Theatre, Manchester, England* Palace Theatre, Mansfield, England...
. He was also an understudy to Emmett and Professor Callahan. He left the show on July 20, 2008.
Karl briefly left Legally Blonde in June 2007 to work on 9 to 5
9 to 5 (musical)
9 to 5: The Musical is a stage musical with music and lyrics by Dolly Parton and a book by Patricia Resnick, based on the 1980 movie Nine to Five...
in its week-long workshop. After leaving Legally Blonde, Karl continued working on the musical 9 to 5
9 to 5 (musical)
9 to 5: The Musical is a stage musical with music and lyrics by Dolly Parton and a book by Patricia Resnick, based on the 1980 movie Nine to Five...
. He played Joe, the love interest of Allison Janney's character, in the pre-Broadway tryout in Los Angeles. The show played at the Ahmanson Theatre from September 3 to October 19, 2008. The show opened on Broadway on April 30, 2009 at the Marquis Theatre
Marquis Theatre
The Marquis Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 1535 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan.Situated on the third floor of the Marriott Marquis Hotel, the 1611-seat venue was designed by developer/architect John C. Portman, Jr...
, and closed on September 6, 2009.
Karl took over the role of Fiyero from Kevin Kern in the Broadway production of Wicked
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
on February 2, 2010. He left the show January 2, 2011 and was succeeded by Kyle McDaniel, until Kyle Dean Massey
Kyle Dean Massey
Kyle Dean Massey is an American theatre performer, best known for playing Gabe in the Broadway musical Next To Normal, and for appearing in the ensemble and as the understudy for Fiyero in Wicked on Broadway and on the first North American tour...
stepped into the role permanently on January 25.
He will take over the role Tommy Devito in the Broadway production of Jersey Boys
Jersey Boys
Jersey Boys is a jukebox musical with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe and book by Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice. It is a documentary-style musical, based on one of the most successful 1960s rock 'n roll groups, the Four Seasons...
on October 11, 2011.
He can be heard on the original cast recordings for Altar Boyz, On the Record, Legally Blonde, and 9 to 5: The Musical.
Personal life
Karl met his wife OrfehOrfeh
Orfeh is an American singer, songwriter and Tony-nominated actress from New York City.-Biography:Orfeh, born and raised in Manhattan, began her career straight out of high school. She attended the famous LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts, and got a record deal right after her graduation...
while in Saturday Night Fever
Saturday Night Fever (musical)
This is an article about the stage musical. For the article on the 1977 film, see Saturday Night FeverSaturday Night Fever is a musical with a book by Nan Knighton and music and lyrics by the Bee Gees.Based on Nik Cohn's 1975 New York Magazine article "Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night" and...
together. They were married in January 2001 and now reside in Manhattan. In addition to Saturday Night Fever, they have also been seen together in "Me and Mrs. Jones," "Nights on Broadway II," Bright Lights, Big City
Bright Lights, Big City
Bright Lights, Big City may refer to: *""Bright Lights, Big City" ", a 1961 song by Jimmy Reed*Bright Lights, Big City , a 1984 novel by Jay McInerney*Bright Lights, Big City , a 1988 film based on McInerney's novel...
, and Legally Blonde
Legally Blonde (musical)
Legally Blonde is a musical with music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin and book by Heather Hach. The story is based on the novel Legally Blonde by Amanda Brown and the 2001 film of the same name. It tells the story of Elle Woods, a sorority girl who enrolls at Harvard Law School to...
.
Stage credits
Broadway- Wicked
- 9 to 5:The Musical
- Legally Blonde
- The Wedding Singer
- Saturday Night Fever
Off-Broadway
- Slut
- Altar Boyz
- Saturday Night
Tours
- On the Record
- Saturday Night Fever
- Cats
- The Who's Tommy
Regional
- Bright Lights, Big City
- Grease
- Romeo and Bernadette