KISMET dream cast

What's your dream cast of KISMET?

Lalume: Audra
Poet: Norm Lewis
Marsinah: Sierra Boggess
Caliph: Aaron Lazar
Wazir: Norbert Leo Butz

Poet - James Barbour or Richard White
Lalume - Catherine Zeta-Jones or Kelli O'Hara
Marsinah - Josefina Scaglione
Caliph - James Anest or Aaron Tveit
Wazir - Brian Stokes Mitchell

Updated On: 7/18/09 at 04:05 PM

Poet: Michael Ball (played the role in London -- fantastic!!!)
Lalume: Faith Prince (played the role in London -- she and Michael worked extremely well together)
Marsinah: Anne Hathaway
Caliph: Alfie Boe was in the London Cast as well, and I really liked him in the role, but I'm thinking Adam Jacobs would be good as well
Wazir: Nathan Lane.

Bwaylvsong, I'd see that without hesitation! (And I don't even particularly like Kismet.)

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I love Kismet and would love to see a revival. I think that the best recorded version of "Not Since Nineveh" is Joan Diener's original by far. Second is Judy Kaye's, then Migenes's verson.

Hadj: Brian Stokes Mitchell- I think he should be given a second chance. With a longer rehearsal time I think his comic timing would be sharper (and he had GREAT chemistry with Marin Mazzie). If not Stokes, then Marc Kudisch. Norm Lewis does not have the musical comedy chops/presence to do this role.
Lalume- Marin Mazzie, she was too perfect in the Encores! concert, has to be seen again!!
Caliph: Stephen Pasquale or Brian D'Arcy James (I think he has the voice to pull this off)
Marsinah: Sierra Boggess (nice choice!) or Jennifer Hope Wills
Wazir: Norbert Leo Butz, Gregg Edelman, or Danny Burstein

I love Diener's version, I just think Migenes uses more interesting placement. I enjoyed listening to her navigate her different registers within seconds. I'll need to look for Kaye's version, though!
I'd love to see Stokes and Mazzie (KMK is my favorite show of all time), but I thought the rule for dream casts is that you can't use people you know have played the roles before.

Joan Diener was a one-of-a-kind performer. She could sing the s__t out of anything, was sexy as all getout and a great comedienne. She also blew the role of Aldonza/Dulcinea off the planet and has never been equaled in that role. I've heard rumors that she could be temperamental and the fact that she was married to Albert Marre didn't help matters. However, I think the basic reason that her career didn't go further than it did was that there's just not that many roles out there that require her unique combination of talents. There's no dearth of sexy women out there; there's a healthy number of fine comediennes; and there are a few with operatic-like voices. But all in one package? It doesn't happen all that often.

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I saw Mazzie as Aldonza/Dulcinea and she was phenomenal! I don't think Mastantonio can hold a candle to her and especially Diener. I was listening to the OBCR of Kismet today and just have to say that Rahadlakum aslo shows off Diener's sensuality so well, not to mention Drake's comedic skills. There pairing in that song might be the highlight for me on that whole recording!

But back to the casting, I think Jose Llana would make a great Caliph...