Crista Moore | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Actress/Singer/Dancer |
| Years active | 1986-Present |
| Website | www |
Crista Moore is an American actress, singer, and dancer known for her work on the Broadway stage. She has been nominated for twoTony Awards, and received aTheatre World Award[1] for Exceptional Broadway Debut in the title role of "Gypsy".
Moore made her Broadway debut starring in the 1989-91 Tony Award winning revival ofGypsy withTyne Daly. She played the role ofLouise/Gypsy, for which she was nominated in 1990 for her firstTony Award forBest Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical. She was also nominated for a Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for her performance. The New York Times criticFrank Rich said of her performance, "It's the title character, not Rose, thatGypsy asks the audience to root for, and the lovely Ms. Moore, who steadily blossoms from a forgotten child to a self-possessed star, makes it easy to do so."[2]John Simon of New York Magazine said, "Crista Moore runs the gamut from self-abnegating duckling to dazzling swan with seamless perfection. She is the first performer to justify the show’s title being notRose butGypsy.”
She next starred as Polly in the First National Tour ofCrazy for You opposite James Brennan, succeedingKaren Ziemba. The production was directed byMike Ockrent and choreographed bySusan Stroman.
Moore next appeared on Broadway in 1996 in the musicalBig (based on the1988 film) in which she created the role of Susan Lawrence (played in the film byElizabeth Perkins). For this performance, Moore was nominated for her secondTony Award, this time forBest Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical. She was also nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical.Big played for 193 performances.[3]
Her next Broadway appearance came in 2000 with the Broadway debut of the Noël Coward playWaiting in the Wings.[4] Moore played the supporting role of Zelda Fenwick in a cast that includedLauren Bacall,Rosemary Harris andHelen Stenborg. The play ran for 186 performances. In 2004, Moore performed in a Broadway revival of theTom Stoppard playJumpers that ran for 89 performances. In 2005 she was a part of the ensemble cast of Manhattan Theatre Club's Broadway revival ofAbsurd Person Singular.
Moore has starred in musicals forNew York City Opera including the title role in Rodgers and Hammerstein’sCinderella, which marked the New York stage premiere of the production and led Moore to a featured television appearance, singing a duet live on NBC’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. She also appeared inNew York City Opera productions as Eileen inWonderful Town and Snookie in110 in the Shade, the latter choreographed bySusan Stroman and directed byScott Ellis. She was asked to reprise the role of Cinderella for Cleveland Opera's production the following year.
Moore's Off-Broadway credits include the 2001 production ofTartuffe[5] at the Tribeca Playhouse (Elmire),Stars in Your Eyes at the Cherry Lane Theatre in 1999, David Ives'Long Ago and Far Away for Ensemble Studio Theatre in 1992 (in which she created the role of Laura), the revival of "Rags" at the American Jewish Theatre (Bella) andBirds of Paradise at the Promenade Theatre in 1987 with JK Simmons,Donna Murphy and Mary Beth Peil.
In the Salzburg Marionette Theatre’s 2007 world premiere production of The Sound Of Music,[6] Moore, along with Christiane Noll & Jonathan Groff, lends her voice as Baroness Elsa Shraeder to this unique & critically praised North American and European tour performed to a fully orchestrated recording with the Istropolis Philharmonic Orchestra, presented entirely with marionettes.[7]
Moore originated the role of Alice Beineke on the First National Tour ofThe Addams Family[8] that was created on Broadway byCarolee Carmello.[9]
In the World Premiere of the 2015 New York Spring Spectacular[10] atRadio City Music Hall, she created the role of Isabella.
Recently, Moore guest starred in Off-Broadway's Nassim[11] at New York City Center.
Featured roles in film and television include independent filmmaker Todd Solondz's filmStorytelling (which played the 2001Cannes Film Festival),Law and Order: SVU,All My Children andDays of Our Lives as well as appearances onCNN andEntertainment Tonight.
Moore’s musical recordings include the original cast recordings ofGypsy (1989),Big (1996) andBirds of Paradise (1987) as well as vocal performances onVarèse Sarabande Labels'Unsung Sondheim,Unsung Irving Berlin,Unsung Musicals,Lost in Boston IV,Peter Pan,Cinderella,[12]Primetime Musicals andShakespeare on Broadway.
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Theatre World Award | Best Broadway Debut | Gypsy | Won |
| Tony Award | Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical | Nominated | ||
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Nominated | ||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Nominated | ||
| 1996 | Tony Award | Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical | Big | Nominated |
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Nominated | ||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Nominated |
