Andy Karl

Andy Karl (born August 28, 1974 as Andrew Karl Cesewski) is an American actor and singer, best known for performing in musical theatre. He appeared in the original productions of the musical version of Groundhog Day (for which he won the Olivier Award, Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award), Legally Blonde, 9 to 5, Rocky the Musical and Pretty Woman: The Musical, as well as appearing in Wicked (in which he played Fiyero in 2010), The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Jersey Boys, On The Twentieth Century (for which he won the Outer Critics Circle Award), And So It Goes, and Into the Woods (in which he played both Princes and the Wolf in 2022). Early life Karl was born on August 28, 1974 in Baltimore, Maryland to Walter Cesewski and Susan Weisman. He attended Towson High School, 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 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 changed his name to Karl to honor his late great-grandfather, Andrew Karl, a Baltimore fireman. In Winter 1993–1994, he played the 9-foot dragon in the children's musical The Reluctant Dragon at Toby's Dinner Theatre in Columbia, Maryland. Career Karl moved to New York in 1994. He was an understudy in the touring cast of The Who's Tommy 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 Stephen 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.