BroadwayWorld is Most Thankful For: Star Returns to Look Forward To- Andy Karl

Thanksgiving might be over, but that doesn't mean that there isn't anything left to be thankful for this year! Earlier this week, BroadwayWorld brought you entries from over 60 of Broadway's biggest stars on what they are counting their blessings for (CLICK HERE to check out the full list), but now we turn the tables and share with you the reasons why we are thankful this holiday season.

A slew of Broadway favorites will return to the stage in the upcoming theatre season, including Andy Karl, who will star as 'Rocky Balboa' in Rocky (set to open at the Winter Garden Theatre on March 13, 2014).

His Broadway return: ROCKY brings to life the iconic and inspiring story of struggling small time Philly boxer, RockyBalboa, who gets a once-in-a-lifetime shot to go the distance against heavyweight champ Apollo Creed. Both an adrenaline-infused spectacle and a surprising story of blossoming romance between two lonely outsiders, Rocky is a heart-stopping and viscerally theatrical new musical for everyone brave enough to follow their dream.

His credits: Karl can currently be seen in a return performance on Broadway as Tommy DeVito in Jersey Boys, following his critically acclaimed performance as Neville Landless in the Broadway revival of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, for which he was nominated for a 2013 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical. A native of Baltimore, Andy's parents enrolled him in an after school theatre program in high school to "keep him out of trouble" and what started as a way to channel his energy soon became a passion. After moving to New York a few years later, Karl quickly made an impression in the theatre community starring in Romeo and Bernadette, for which he received a Carbonell nomination, the Off-Broadway production of Saturday Night working alongside Stephen Sondheim and Kathleen Marshall, and his stand out performance as Luke, the thuggish rapper in the original cast of Altar Boyz. Andy went on to star in numerous Broadway productions including 9 to 5, Legally Blonde (ACCA Award), and On the 20th Century, among many others. His film and TV roles include Joyful Noise; Rob Reiner's And So It Goes (opposite Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton); "Legally Blonde: The Search for Elle Woods"; On the One; and New York, I Love You.

Past Performances: