Orfeh

Orfeh, born Orfeh Or on March 28, 1971, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress who grew up in New York City. She attended LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts before launching a recording career shortly after graduation. Her earliest work came as part of the group Genevha alongside musical partner Mike More, with whom she released Life in the Movies in 1987. The duo subsequently rebranded as Or-N-More and signed with EMI Records, releasing a self-titled album in 1991. The single "Everyotherday" reached number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the album earned gold certification. Financial mismanagement by the duo's business manager derailed their momentum, and Or-N-More disbanded in the aftermath. Following the group's dissolution, Orfeh signed a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music and shifted toward writing and producing for other artists. Among her songwriting credits is "Wishing On You," which appeared on the soundtrack of the Disney film Model Behavior in 2000. She also holds membership in the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, giving her nominating and voting privileges for the Grammy Awards.

Orfeh made her Broadway debut in 1998 as a swing in Footloose. The following year she joined the ten-member company of The Gershwins' Fascinating Rhythm, which also featured Adriane Lenox, Sara Ramirez, and Patrick Wilson. Also in 1999, she originated the role of Annette in the Broadway production of Saturday Night Fever, drawn from the London musical of the same name. It was during that production that she met actor Andy Karl, whom she married in 2001. Her 1999 appearance on The Rosie O'Donnell Show included a performance of her solo number from the show, "If I Can't Have You." After Saturday Night Fever closed, Orfeh appeared in Me and Mrs. Jones and Bright Lights, Big City at the Prince Theatre in Philadelphia. In 2001, she played Janis Joplin in the off-Broadway production Love, Janis, and in 2005 she starred as Pippi in the off-Broadway musical The Great American Trailer Park Musical.

Orfeh's most prominent Broadway credit came in 2007, when she played Paulette in the original cast of Legally Blonde. The role earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, as well as nominations from the Drama Desk Awards for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical and from the Outer Critics Circle. Karl appeared opposite her in the production as Paulette's love interest, Kyle. Orfeh remained with Legally Blonde through its closing on October 19, 2008. Her Broadway work also includes appearances in Hair, Dreamgirls, and Pretty Woman: The Musical, in which she played Kit De Luca from July 20, 2018, through August 18, 2019. In August 2024, she joined the cast of Chicago on Broadway as Matron "Mama" Morton for a limited engagement.

Beyond Broadway, Orfeh performed at Lincoln Center's American Songbook Series in 2016 alongside Karl. Off-Broadway, she appeared in a 50th anniversary concert production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in February 2020, playing Potiphar's Wife opposite Karl as Potiphar. In July 2025, she made her West End debut at London's Savoy Theatre, originating the role of Tess in Burlesque the Musical, with the production opening on July 10, 2025.

Orfeh has maintained an active recording career alongside her stage work. She released her debut solo studio album, What Do You Want from Me, on September 30, 2008. In 2014, she recorded a track for Michael Mott's album Where the Sky Ends, later released as a dance mix. Subsequent releases include the 2015 Christmas single "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)," the 2016 single "Forget My Name," and a featured appearance on the charity single "What the World Needs Now Is Love" with other Broadway artists that same year. In 2017, she and Karl released Legally Bound: Live at Feinstein's/54 Below, a concert album recorded at 54 Below. A mash-up single combining "Yesterday," "Time After Time," and "Shallow," recorded with Karl and singer-songwriter Andrew Logan, followed in 2021, and a cover of the Eagles' "Hotel California" was released on October 20, 2023.

In addition to her stage and recording work, Orfeh has guest-starred in episodes of Gossip Girl, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and Sex and the City. She has also provided voice work for the video games Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne (2003), Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004), and The Warriors (2005), as well as commercial voiceover work for Wachovia bank. Orfeh and Karl, who had collaborated on productions including Me and Mrs. Jones, Legally Blonde, Pretty Woman: The Musical, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, separated in May 2024 after 23 years of marriage.