How did Orfeh and Andy Karl meet? Relationship explored as Broadway couple separate after 23 years of marriage 

On May 14, Broadway stars Andy Karl and Orfeh, who have been married for 23 years announced their separation. Sharing a photo of them posing apart, the duo wrote in a joint statement on his Instagram:

“After 23 years of a wonderful loving relationship, both onstage and off, we have made the decision to separate. Keeping a marriage strong can be challenging, especially when working on opposite sides of the world, but we remain committed to building a strong future, whether together or apart.”

The post also asked for “respect and privacy”, and shared love and gratitude with their followers for their support over the years.

The now-separated couple first met in 2000, when Andy joined the cast of the Broadway musical, Saturday Night Fever, of which she Orfeh was already a part.

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Exploring the relationship timeline of Orfeh and Andy Karl

Actor-singer Andy Karl and singer, songwriter, and actress Orfeh met for the first time in mid-2000, on the sets of the Broadway show Saturday Night Fever. They tied the knot six months later in January 2001 in South Beach.

During a May 2015 interview with Playbill, the couple reminisced their love story. The 49-year-old Andy told the magazine:

“We were both very interested in each other, but I played it way cool. So cool that she didn't even notice. I had just come into the show and she was this phenomenon that I'd never seen before. I can't compare my wife to anyone else, because she's so unique.”

The three-time Tony nominee further continued by saying how he didn’t think he had a “chance,” but often tried to initiate “conversations,” eventually realizing that they were both “looking for the same thing.” He further added that it was “in the air” and “happened mutually.”

Likewise, the 53-year-old Orfeh stated:

"I knew instantly. I was like, 'Love at first sight really exists?' I thought that was a total cheesehead concept, but the minute I laid eyes on him, everything else faded from view... I said to a couple of my girlfriends in the show: 'Don't let me screw this up. I have to be with this guy.'"

Throughout their careers, the now-estranged couple appeared in several Broadway productions including Legally Blonde: The Musical, Pretty Woman: The Musical, Me & Mrs. Jones, Nights on Broadway II, Bright Lights, Big City, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat among others.

Besides theater performances, Andy Karl and Orfeh also appeared together in red-carpet events, charity shows, and concerts. This included their own-crafted Legally Bound: Live at Feinstein’s/ 54 Below concert where they performed a blend of pop, R&B, and Broadway music together.

In the Playbill interview, when asked what the secret of their long marriage was, Andy stated that it was “easier than [one] might think,” and called her his “champion.”

“I'm the guy that sits back and thinks about things, but she's the go-getter. The two of us work off each other in that way. I've learned so much from her and am still learning,” he mentioned back then.

Similarly, Orfeh noted that they were “truly each other’s soulmates” and were “meant to be together.”

"We genuinely like each other — above and beyond being in love. We're very lucky that we're as different as we are, but at the same time we have the same goals, we have the same love, we have the same appreciation for things. I think that ultimately is the reason it's worked as long as it has," she added.

In 2016, the duo performed at the Lincoln Center’s American Songbook series, and later in 2021 collaborated on a mash-up single of Yesterday/ Time After Time/ Shallow alongside singer-songwriter Andrew Logan.

In another past interview with Berkshire Magazine, Orfeh called Karl her “best friend” and someone who made her “laugh harder than anyone else on the planet.” Andy, on the other hand, stated that the secret to their successful marriage was that his wife always told him the “absolute truth.”

Over the last year, the New York City natives have been in a long-distance marriage, due to Andy's work. Karl toured the world for his Broadway show Groundhog Day: The Musical, which ran in London between May and August 2023, and later in Melbourne from January to April 2024. Meanwhile, Orfeh has been staying in Manhattan.