HOLMDEL – Andy Karl and Orfeh met in 1999 when both had roles in the Broadway production of “Saturday Night Fever.”
“I was the understudy to the lead,” said Karl. “When I went on stage with her for the first time, I dropped all my lines in that scene, but she covered for me. I was nervous acting with someone I was so infatuated with. I’ve always been a fan of her voice. I’m just as wowed as the audience when she sings.”
The feeling was mutual and within a few months, they were married. Karl and Orfeh have worked together many times since, most notably in Broadway’s “Legally Blonde the Musical.” They also created a cabaret show entitled “Legally Bound,” which they performed at Feinstein’s 54 Below shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic. The couple is bringing this show to the Holmdel The- atre as part of the Broadway at the Barn series at 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 13.
“We really enjoy working together,” said Orfeh. “People say we have an unusual amount of chemistry for a married couple.”
“Legally Bound” is a mix of pop, rock, R&B and show tunes. Their run at 54 Below earned them rave reviews from the New York Times: Orfeh with a “powerhouse voice” and Karl as “a theater world heartthrob.”
Their opening number is a rousing Motown medley. They’ve also added a special song to the act, but declined to divulge much more, instead choosing to let the Holmdel audience be surprised.
“We added our wedding song to the show,” said Orfeh. “Even though we eloped, it was one of the first songs we ever sang together.”
Orfeh remembers every detail of the day she met Karl while working on “Saturday Night Fever.”
“Everyone in the cast was saying, ‘Oh my God, Andy Karl is coming into the show! You’re going to love him!’ ” she said. “The buildup was too much. But when he walked in, sure enough, everything disappeared around him. I literally told my friend in the cast, ‘This is the guy I’m going to marry.’ ”
Karl received the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical for “Groundhog Day” at the Old Vic in London. On this side of the pond, he is known for his roles in “Jersey Boys,” “Rocky,” “Pretty Woman,” “Groundhog Day,” “9 to 5,” “Wicked” and “The Mystery of Edwin Drood.” He is a three-time Tony Award nominee and has also appeared in numerous television shows, most notably as Sgt. Mike Dodds on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”
Tony-nominee Orfeh appeared on Broadway in “Pretty Woman,” “Footloose” and “The Gershwins’ Fascinating Rhythm.” She was nominated for a Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for her role as Paulette in “Legally Blonde.”
Off-Broadway credits include “Love, Loss, and What I Wore” and “Love, Janis.” She was part of the ‘90s pop duo Or-N-More along with producer Mike More and has appeared on television in “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “Sex and the City” and “Chappelle’s Show.”
In 2018, Orfeh and Karl starred together in Broadway’s “Pretty Woman,” with Karl in the lead role of Edward Lewis and Orfeh as Kit De Luca. These days, they are making up the concert dates that were postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic and are enjoying every minute of it.
“We’re married, we’re in love and we like singing songs that deal with love,” said Karl. “The show highlights both of our strengths. We have a lot of fun on stage.”
They’ve had a lot of laughs too. While doing previews for “Legally Blonde” in San Francisco, they had the unique experience of working with live animals.
“In the show, Andy brought Chloe, who played Rufus, into my salon,” said Orfeh. “No one told me that bulldogs tend to regurgitate. The audience was going ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ over the dog, and then she just puked on stage. Andy was trying to figure out how to get rid of the mess because we had a big dance number after that. I said, ‘Just get some Pepto and she’ll be fine.’ The audience went ballistic!”
That experience didn’t deter this dog-loving couple, who are parents to several rescue Chihuahuas, their favorite breed.
“We even adopted the understudy to Bruiser in ‘Legally Blonde,’ ” said Karl.
Tickets for “Legally Bound” are $59 and are available at holmdeltheatrecompany.org. Broadway at the Barn continues with “Jagged Little Pill’s” Elizabeth Stanley Sept. 10 followed by Andy Mientus from Deaf West Theatre’s production of “Spring Awakening” Oct. 8.
The article originally appeared in the August 11 – 17, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
