Crista Moore Biography

Crista Moore is an American actress, singer and dancer known for her work on the Broadway stage.

Theatre

Moore made her Broadway debut in the 1989 revival of Gypsy starring Tyne Daly. She played the role of Louise, for which she was nominated for her first Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical. The New York Times critic Frank Rich said of her performance, "It's the title character, not Rose, that Gypsy 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." 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 not Rose but Gypsy."

She next starred as Polly in the First National Tour of Crazy for You opposite James Brennan, succeeding Karen Ziemba. The production was directed by Mike Ockrent and choreographed by Susan Stroman.

Moore next appeared on Broadway in 1996 in the musical Big (based on the 1988 film) in which she created the role of Susan Lawrence (played in the film by Elizabeth Perkins). For this performance, Moore was nominated for her second Tony Award, this time for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical. Big played for 193 performances.

Her next Broadway appearance came in 2000 with the Broadway debut of the Noël Coward play Waiting in the Wings. Moore played the supporting role of Zelda Fenwick in a cast that included Lauren Bacall, Rosemary Harris and Helen Stenborg. The play ran for 186 performances. In 2004, Moore performed in a Broadway revival of the Tom Stoppard play Jumpers that ran for 89 performances. In 2005 she was a part of the ensemble cast of Manhattan Theatre Club's Broadway revival of Absurd Person Singular.

Moore has starred in musicals for New York City Opera including the title role in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, 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 in New York City Opera productions as Eileen in Wonderful Town and Snookie in 110 in the Shade, the latter choreographed by Susan Stroman and directed by Scott Ellis.

Moore's Off-Broadway credits include the 2001 production of Tartuffe 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), and Birds of Paradise at the Promenade Theatre in 1987 with Donna Murphy.

Most recently, Moore played the role of Alice Beineke on the First National Tour of The Addams Family that was created on Broadway by Carolee Carmello.

Film and Television

Featured roles in film and television include independent filmmaker Todd Solondz's film Storytelling (which played the 2001 Cannes Film Festival), Law and Order: SVU, All My Children and Days of Our Lives as well as appearances on CNN and Entertainment Tonight.

Recordings

Moore's musical recordings include the original cast recordings of Gypsy (1989), Big (1996) and Birds of Paradise (1987) as well as vocal performances on Varèse Sarabande Labels' Unsung Sondheim, Unsung Irving Berlin, Unsung Musicals, Lost in Boston IV, Peter Pan, Cinderella, Primetime Musicals and Shakespeare on Broadway.

Awards and Nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominated Work	Result
1990	Theatre World Award	Best Broadway Debut	Gypsy
	Tony Award	Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
	Drama Desk Award	Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
	Outer Critics Circle Award	Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical
1996	Tony Award	Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical	Big
	Drama Desk Award	Outstanding Actress in a Musical
	Outer Critics Circle Award	Outstanding Actress in a Musical