Evening star., 1954-04-10

within their inspiration and abnc
the slump. The result is that
not represented on Rroadway-al
able to do little about maintain
ing the musical production
standard.
The most glittering effort to
all the gap is that represented
by "Kismet."
Five words and music men,
six counting the arranger, col
Elaborated on "Kismet." With
the aid of a vast choir Of IAN
GELS as investors are called,
they have created an opulent
variation Of Edward Knoblock's
old Otis Skinner play. It's spon-
sors have even provided it shell
ter in the palatial precincts Of
the Ziegfeld theater but in spite
Of everything that has been done
to it, and for it, "Kismet" is an
old model musical extravaganza.
It is indeed a kind of Ziegfeld
Follies, but with a book. There
are worse things, to be sure, all
but one of the years other mu-
steals among them. Yet "Kis-
met" lacks the bright contempo-
raneouS zeSt that has been the
high and popular style of the
last decade.
This is not the fault of it's
performers, chiefly Alfred Drake;
an "Oklahoma!" pioneer; Do
retta Morrow, a lovely girl with
a golden voice; and Joan Deiner,
a psychology major, shaped like
Jane Russell and equipped with
q raff1Sh sense Of the absurd.
These would look not only good,
but a whale of a lot better, in
o musical more consonant with
their own modern spirit. They do
not quite bring of the sharp
flavor Of parody that would save
''Kismet" from its sporadic, but
in-built lulls.
To their credit, they have
helped it to a few, early season
prizes. They. in turn, have been
helped in this respect by the in
ferior quality of competitive pro-
auctions.
Composer Alexander Borodin
has supplied the vocally gifted
principals and choruses of the
Charles Lederer production with
some agreeable music in 'Kis-
met!
The two best known numbers,
Of course, are "BaubleS, Bangles
and, Beads" which Miss Morrow
turns into something memorable,
and Stranger in Paradise" ably
and affectingly sung by Richard
Oneto, and both amplif1ed by the
choral groups. There is even
better, if less popular, music
wedged in Borodin's score, might
of My Nights" "And This Is My
Beloved" THE Olive Tree"
Fate" Hes In Love-" etc.
It all makes fairly agreeable
listening, the least so the vocal
comedy aSideS, but there is an
occasional touch Of pretentious-
ness and there is always the book
which Is excessive ballast for the
shows music.
Nevertheless, it is always nicely
In its favor that "Kismet" has
been cast so well. The beggar-
poet Hail, who a generation or
30 ago used to be the Father of
Cornelia Otis Skinner is a rogue
whose superior could not be |
found in old Bagdad. Caliphs.
Wazirs, and plain and fancy
husbands-not to mention au-
diences-are pushovers for Mr.
Drake.
No man is more easily sure of i
himself on today's musical stage
and a daughter far less beautiful
and gifted than Miss Morrow
could count on such a father to
make her a Caliph's bride. Their
Joint rise in the society of an
cient Bagdad is the story told in
''Kismet," of course. It is one
Of the few fables in which Gin
derella is shown in the company
Of her father, and as so much
indebted to him.
OF the others, Miss Diener is
this wandering reviewers choice
as the most vibrant presence.
Looking less like a psychology
major than any other learned
girl alive, she plays the rowing
eyed wife Of the Wazir in a way
to make one feel he was born too
late. Like, Miss Morrow, she is
endowed with one of those voices
that seems to belong to the pre-
amplif1ed world of music.
Miss Diener, Henry Calvin as
the Wazir. and Philip Coolidge |
as Omar the Caliph's private
pOeC, almost succeed IN eQ1C1ng |
the archaic from the comedy of |
"Kismet.
An exacting Caliph would have
small occasion for complaint with |
the quality of the dancers as
sembled to perform Jack Coles |
choreography in "Kism t."
These. some of them stained and |
others of the right natural hue
for Bagdad's sunny landscape,
NIL the performance with the
bright suggestion that matinees
and nights around the old orien-
tai palaces were really never dull.
The brightest eyefuls among
these are a trio, Patricia Dunn,
Bonnie Evans and nellie Adams,