Sylvester Stallone Says Andy Karl 'Has What It Takes' to Play ROCKY on Broadway

Cutting straight to the punch, Sylvester Stallone, who helped cast Andy Karl as Rocky Balboa in the upcoming Rocky musical on Broadway, raved about the star in a recent interview with the Associated Press.

"Having gone through literally hundreds, maybe thousands, of prospects, Andy was one of our first choices and he just had it," Stallone said. "He has what it takes -- there's no arrogance, there's a natural humility about him, and that's what is important. No matter how threatening he may look, you're going to like him, it just comes through. And that's not so easy to find. Tough guys are a dime a dozen; a sensitive tough guy, pretty rare."

Read the original report here.

ROCKY, which opens on Broadway on March 13, 2014, will be led by Karl (The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Jersey Boys) as the title character and Margo Seibert, who will make her Broadway debut as Adrian. Preview performances begin on February 11 at the historic Winter Garden Theatre (1634 Broadway, New York, NY).

ROCKY brings to life the iconic and inspiring story of struggling small time Philly boxer, Rocky Balboa, who gets a once-in-a-lifetime shot to go the distance against heavyweight champ Apollo Creed. Both an adrenalin-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.

Produced on a shoestring budget, the original 1975 film, Rocky, was shot in 28 days, and starred its young and then-unknown screenwriter, Sylvester Stallone. Like the character of boxer Rocky Balboa, Stallone had to fight the studio, which wanted more bankable stars like Ryan O'Neal or Burt Reynolds, to be cast in the role. Stallone's performance would earn him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and launch his career as one of Hollywood's biggest stars. The small underdog film went on to become an American film classic, winning the 1976 Academy Award for Best Picture, and launching one of the most successful and iconic characters in Hollywood history

ROCKY features an original score by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, the celebrated Tony Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated songwriters behind Ragtime, Once on This Island, and Anastasia, and a book by multiple Tony Award-winner Thomas Meehan (The Producers, Hairspray, Annie) and Sylvester Stallone, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the 1976 Oscar-winning Best Picture, Rocky.

The production is directed by Alex Timbers, whose critically-acclaimed work on Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson and Peter and the Starcatcher propelled both of those shows from downtown to Broadway, garnering Mr. Timbers Tony Award nominations for both. The musical features choreography by Kelly Devine, best known for the long-running Broadway hit Rock of Ages, and fight choreography by Steven Hoggett, who received a Tony Award nomination for his work on Once.

For more information, visit www.ROCKYBROADWAY.com.