Kismet Synopsis

Kismet is a musical written in 1953 by Robert Wright and George Forrest, adapted from the music of Alexander Borodin, and produced by Charles Lederer. The musical was adapted from the book by Charles Lederer and Luther Davis, based on the play by Edward Knoblock.[1] Directed by Albert Marre, with sumptuous settings and costumes by Lemuel Ayers, it premiered on December 3, 1953 at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York in the midst of a newspaper strike and despite the sparsity of reviews survived, running for 583 performances. The strike, which allowed the show to become a hit through word-of-mouth, may have been a blessing since the reviews were not all favorable. One critic, punning on the name of the composer Borodin, disparaged the score as "a lot of borrowed din." The original production starred Alfred Drake as the poet Hajj, Doretta Morrow as his daughter Marsinah, Richard Kiley as the young Caliph of Baghdad, and Joan Diener as Lalume, the vampy wife of the evil Wazir. The show was even more successful in London's West End, enjoying a 648-show run at the Stoll Theatre. Columbia Masterworks Records recorded the original Broadway cast in late 1953; the recording was later reissued on CD by Masterworks Broadway Records. The musical Kismet was made into a Cinemascope film in 1955 by MGM, starring Howard Keel as Hajj, Ann Blyth as Marsinah, Dolores Gray as Lalume, and Vic Damone as the Caliph. The soaring quartet version of "This is My Beloved" was changed to a trio, because Sebastian Cabot, who played the Wazir, could not sing. A studio cast recording of the musical.was made in 1991 starring Samuel Ramey, Ruth Ann Swenson, Jerry Hadley and Julia Migenes. Jettisoning the lush oriental context and physical production of the original, a 1978 restaging called Timbuktu! set the story in Africa, with minimalistic settings. Plot emphasis was shifted, with Eartha Kitt starring in the role of Lalume. The musical was restaged in June and July 2007 by the English National Opera at the London Coliseum and starred West End musical veteran Michael Ball and Alfie Boe.

Act I * "Sands Of Time": In the Steppes of Central Asia * "Fate": Symphony No. 2, 1st movement, opening theme * "Bazaar of The Caravans": Symphony No. 2, 4th movement, opening theme; Prince Igor, No. 17, "Polovetsian Dances", Wild Dance of the Men * "Not Since Nineveh": Prince Igor, No. 1 (Prologue) & No. 17, "Polovetsian Dances" (introductory theme) * "Baubles, Bangles And Beads": Prince Igor, No. 2a and 2f (Skula and Yeroshka's music); String Quartet No. 2, 2nd Movement (Scherzo), secondary theme * "Stranger In Paradise": Prince Igor, No. 17, "Polovetsian Dances", Gliding Dance of the Maidens * "He's In Love!": Prince Igor, No. 17, "Polovetsian Dances", General Dance (D Major) * "Gesticulate": Prince Igor, No. 15, "Aria of Khan Konchak"; Symphony No. 1, 4th Movement, opening theme

Act II * "Night of My Nights": "Sérénade" from Petite Suite for piano * "And This Is My Beloved": Prince Igor, No. 14 (Ovlur's theme); String Quartet No. 2, 3rd Movement (Notturno, originally in 3/4 meter), opening theme * "The Olive Tree": Prince Igor, No. 23, Trio (also used in the opera's overture) * "Zubbediya, Samahris' Dance": Prince Igor, No. 2b, Song of Vladimir of Galich & No. 17, "Polovetsian Dances", Dance of the Boys and Men * Stranger In Paradise" has been covered by many artists, including Bing Crosby and Tony Bennett. The plot of the musical film Silk Stockings starring Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse revolves around the adaptation of a Russian composer's works for a jazzed-up Hollywood musical, and has been taken to be a reference to the adaptation of Borodin's works to Kismet.

For further information refer to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kismet_(musical)