A.A. Cristi is a Managing Editor and Features Writer for BroadwayWorld. For more than a decade, she has covered theater news from coast to coast, attended major industry events including the Tony Awards, and contributed extensive special features ranging from in-depth interviews and original exclusives to long-form historical research projects.
She is a graduate of the College of Staten Island, where she earned a degree in Communications/Journalism. Her performance and production experience includes work both onstage and behind the scenes with La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, Theater for the New City, Midtown International Theatre Festival, Richard Frankel Productions, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Scorpio Entertainment, Commercial Theater Institute, FringeNYC, Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, and CAGE Theatre Company.
Outside of her work in theater journalism, Cristi is an award-winning children’s author. Her debut book, Bruce the Spruce: A New York City Fairytale About the True Meaning of Christmas Trees, is published by Mascot Books.
LEARN MORE ABOUT A.A. Cristi
First Show:
Thoroughly Modern MillieFavorite Show:
West Side StoryFavorite Stories:
- BWW Exclusive: Bringing Back Broadway, Part 3- Curtain Up! Light the Lights! - This article is the third installment in a three-part series examining Broadway’s return after the pandemic. While the first two pieces focused on tourism, economics, and the broader industry, this final entry went behind the scenes—into costume shops, rehearsal rooms, wings, and dressing rooms—to show fans what it actually took to bring Broadway back after a year-and-a-half shutdown. It was especially meaningful to spotlight the labor and dedication of the people working out of the spotlight.
- SWEENEY TODD, A History- Part 2: The Demon Barber Slashes His Way From Page To Stage And Beyond - In-depth historical research has become a major part of my work at BroadwayWorld, and this two-part history of Sweeney Todd is the most extensive project I’ve ever undertaken. The first part traced the story’s Victorian-era origins, while the second explored its journey to the stage and beyond. Diving into the creative worlds of figures like Stephen Sondheim, Hal Prince, Tim Burton, John Doyle, and the many performers who have embodied these roles was both fascinating and deeply rewarding.
- BWW First Person: Dear Phil Connors- Finding Truth in GROUNDHOG DAY, A Musical For All of Us - This piece is especially personal to me—it grew out of my reaction to seeing Groundhog Day and feeling that it was an undervalued and deeply meaningful musical. It marked the first time I really turned inward as a writer to explore my own response to a work of art. The piece unexpectedly went viral, was embraced by the show’s creators, and sparked an outpouring of messages from readers who shared how the show had affected them, making it a genuinely wonderful experience.
- How the Scourge Stole Broadway: A Christmas Tale of 2020 - Written during the pandemic, this parody poem compared Broadway’s shutdown to The Grinch, focusing on how creativity endured even after everything was “taken away.” It became a cathartic and hopeful way to celebrate the resilience of the theatre community, while also allowing me to merge my identities as a Broadway journalist and a children’s book author by using a beloved story to reflect a collective artistic experience.
- BWW Exclusive: Everything's Up To Date On Broadway: The People Versus Classic Musicals - This article tackled the challenging question of how older Broadway musicals and plays fit into a modern cultural landscape shaped by evolving conversations around representation and inclusivity. Through interviews with leading theatre thinkers and practitioners, including Jennifer Ashley Tepper, Ted Chapin, and Tony-winning directors Daniel Fish and Bartlett Sher, the piece explored how these works can be contextualized, reexamined, and responsibly carried forward without dismissing their historical significance.
From The Winner's Circle: SOME LIKE IT HOT Choreographer Casey Nicholaw Takes Home A Tony!
June 11, 2023
June 11, 2023
Acclaimed Some Like It Hot director/choreographer Casey Nicholaw swung by the winner's room after picking up a Best Choreography award for making the hot feet of his massive new musical dance!
From The Winner's Circle: Chatting With SOME LIKE IT HOT Orchestrators Charlie Rosen and Bryan Carter
June 11, 2023
June 11, 2023
In their visit to the press room, recently annointed Tony winners, Some Like It Hot orchestrators, Charlie Rosen and Bryan Carter discussed the timely and important subject of the need for Broadway-sized orchestras for Broadway shows.
BroadwayWorld's 5th Annual Phonys! 2023 Tony Categories We Wish Existed
June 9, 2023
June 9, 2023
Check out our picks for some of Tony's most overlooked honors of the 2022-2023 Broadway season. This is the 2023 BroadwayWorld Phonys.
Interview: How SHUCKED Star Alex Newell Is Manufacturing Standing Ovations With 'Independently Owned'
April 27, 2023
April 27, 2023
Liberated, educated, motivated. These are just a few adjectives used to describe Alex Newell's luscious entrepreneur, Lulu, in the hilarious new musical, Shucked. But underrated? Not according to audiences. Each night, Alex and Lulu are stopping the show, earning mid-performance standing ovations for the single lady anthem, 'Independently Owned'.
7 Things You Might Not Know About NEW YORK, NEW YORK Composers John Kander and Fred Ebb
April 18, 2023
April 18, 2023
This season the new musical New York, New York is bringing the hopes and dreams of young artists to the Broadway stage in a new musical from iconic duo John Kander and Fred Ebb. From their meeting in 1964, Kander and Ebb have forged one of the longest-running and most successful partnerships in Broadway history, crafting beloved hits like Flora, the Red Menace, Cabaret, Zorba, Chicago, Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Curtains, The Scottsboro Boys and many more.
Interview: How KIMBERLY AKIMBO Orchestrator John Clancy Went From Rock Drummer To Broadway Pro
April 9, 2023
April 9, 2023
Meet John Clancy, the Tony-nominated orchestrator behind this season's heartfelt hit musical, Kimberly Akimbo!
Inside the Hidden History Of Henrik Ibsen's A DOLL'S HOUSE
March 18, 2023
March 18, 2023
Henrik Ibsen's timeless classic A Doll's House has made it back to Broadway season in a newly streamlined production from playwright Amy Herzog and Tony-nominated director Jamie Lloyd, and starring Academy Award-winner Jessica Chastain in the iconic role of Nora Helmer.
Interview: How SOME LIKE IT HOT Orchestrators Charlie Rosen and Bryan Carter Brought Big Band Back To Broadway!
February 26, 2023
February 26, 2023
This season, the new musical Some Like It Hot is bringing the old-fashioned showstopper back to life on Broadway. Read our interview with the rollicking new musical's esteemed orchestrators, Tony and Grammy Award-winner Charlie Rosen and esteemed jazz musician, bandleader, and educator Bryan Fuller.
Interview: Broadway's Ellen McLaughlin Presents A Radical Retelling Of 'Antigone' With KISSING THE FLOOR At Theatre Row
February 9, 2023
February 9, 2023
One Year Lease Theater Company will present the world premiere of Ellen McLaughlin's KISSING THE FLOOR, directed by Ianthe Demos, with movement direction by Natalie Lomonte, running Off-Broadway February 23 - March 12, 2023 in a limited engagement at Theatre Row.
Interview: How Playwright David Lindsay-Abaire Gave KIMBERLY AKIMBO A Musical Makeover
February 3, 2023
February 3, 2023
Before Kimberly Akimbo was an acclaimed musical, it was an acclaimed play by future Pulitzer Prize-winner David Linsday-Abaire. Read our interview with this acclaimed American playwright!
Dance Into 2023 With Advice From Your Favorite Broadway Musicals!
January 7, 2023
January 7, 2023
2023 is officially here! Head into the new year with advice from A Strange Loop, WICKED, Kimberly Akimbo, Beetlejuice, Funny Girl, Hadestown and more!
Video: 15 Memorable Musical Moments From Non-Musical Movies!
January 2, 2023
January 2, 2023
See video of memorable musical numbers from from A Star Is Born, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Back To The Future, Hocus Pocus and more Hollywood classics!
Video: 14 Times Broadway Showtunes Made Cameos On the Big and Small Screens
December 30, 2022
December 30, 2022
From Indiana Jones to The Office, check out videos of BroadwayWorld's favorite found show tunes in film and television history!
A Starter Kit For THE OLD MAN AND THE POOL Creator and Star, Mike Birbiglia
December 31, 2022
December 31, 2022
One of the greatest comedic storytellers, at the top of his game. Following his award-winning show The New One, Mike Birbiglia has returned to Broadway with a coming-of-middle-age story about when life takes a dive - into a highly-chlorinated YMCA pool. Propelled by his singular, insightful voice and everyman style, Mike Birbiglia has quickly become one of the most popular names in standup as well as an accomplished actor, author, and filmmaker.
From ALMOST FAMOUS to WICKED: The Music Fan's Guide To Broadway
December 10, 2022
December 10, 2022
Musical genres from all over the spectrum have hit our stages this season! From the rock stars of Almost Famous to the witches of Wicked, find the show that best suits your musical taste!
Interview: How & JULIET Scribe, David West Read, Created A Shakespearean Heroine for Today
November 22, 2022
November 22, 2022
Oh baby, baby! The new megawatt jukebox musical, & Juliet, has begun its Broadway run at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre! Bringing one half of Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers to life as a pop princess is Emmy and Golden Globe-winning, and Olivier Award-nominated, playwright and screenwriter David West Read, who is best known for his contributions to the Emmy Award-winning hit show, Schitt's Creek.
Interview: Playwright Yilong Liu and Director Chay Yew Talk GOOD ENEMY At Minetta Lane Theatre
November 12, 2022
November 12, 2022
Audible Theater presents the world premiere production of Good Enemy. Read our interview with the show's author, Audible Theater Emerging Playwright Yilong Liu and its Obie Award-winning director, Chay Yew.
CHICAGO, A History- Part 2: A Modern Classic Makes A Bang On Stage and Screen
October 29, 2022
October 29, 2022
Discover the story behind one of the greatest musicals in history as we dive deep into the history of Broadway's longest-running American musical, John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Bob Fosse's, 'Chicago.'
Interview: Composer Asher Muldoon Talks THE BUTCHER BOY At Irish Repertory Theatre
August 23, 2022
August 23, 2022
The world premiere run of the new musical adaptation, The Butcher Boy, is currently underway at Irish Repertory Theatre.
Interview: Original Broadway Cast Member John Hillner Revisits FOOTLOOSE At Argyle Theatre
August 5, 2022
August 5, 2022
On any Sunday through August 28, Long Island audiences can catch Broadway's John Hillner starring as Reverend Shaw in the Oyster Bay Theatre production of the hit musical, Footloose!
« prev 1 … 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 … 40 next »
Videos