The story concerns a wily poet who talks his way out of trouble several times; meanwhile, his beautiful daughter meets and falls in love with the young caliph.

[1][2] Lester had previously produced Song of Norway, with the same composing team, adapting the melodies of Edvard Grieg.

For Kismet, the writers seized upon the music of Alexander Borodin, which they felt had a suitable exotic flavor and lush melodies.

Fifteen years ago, the real Hajj had placed a curse on Jawan that resulted in the disappearance of the brigand's little son.

Elsewhere, Hajj is basking in the glow of some scantily-dressed slave girls he has just bought, when he is stopped by the police, who are checking identities because they are looking for Jawan.

The lovely Lalume, attracted to the handsome poet, begs her husband for forgiveness, but the Wazir is not convinced and orders his guards to drag Hajj off to punishment.

Lalume knows that the poet is no wizard, but she decides that he may be her chance out of a dull life ("Bored")[4] and is falling in love with him; she promises to help.

Hajj and Lalume are discussing a trip to a "small oasis, a week's travel by camel" when Marsinah enters the Harem.

The wazir, hoping to convince the caliph that only wanting one wife is just a phase, shows him his harem through a peephole where he sees Marsinah.

He takes a blank plaque and throws it in a pool, proclaiming that when it is retrieved, it will read the name of the caliph's fated bride.

The caliph is ready to pardon Hajj for his murder of a public official, but the poet requests, as his punishment, to be "banished to some dreadful oasis ... at least a week's journey away by camel," and to be made to comfort the wazir's widow in her "grief".

"[5][6][7] According to Richard E. Rodda in his 2008 liner notes to recordings of Borodin works, Robert Wright and George Forrest specialized in "turning melodies from classical music into film scores and popular songs".

The director was Albert Marre, with choreography by Jack Cole and sumptuous settings and costumes by Lemuel Ayers.

[10] The critic of Time magazine, punning on the name of the composer Borodin, disparaged the score as "a lot of borrowed din.

[12] Bloom and Vlastnik noted that it was the score that made the show successful, as the songs "Stranger in Paradise" and "Baubles, Bangles and Beads" were "huge hits on radio, television and records.

"[9] Kismet was even more successful in London's West End, enjoying a 648 performance run at the Stoll Theatre commencing in April 1955.

[13] The first Australian production opened at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne in November 1955, featuring Hayes Gordon and directed by American Burry Fredrik.

[14][15] The musical was revived at Lincoln Center's New York State Theater, starting on June 22, 1965, for 39 performances and starring Drake, Lee Venora, Anne Jeffreys, and Henry Calvin.

[16] The New York City Opera presented the musical in October 1985, featuring George Hearn (Hajj), Susanne Marsee (Lalume) and Maryanne Telese (Marsinah) with direction by Frank Corsaro.

[17] In 1994, BBC Radio 2 broadcast a complete production starring Ethan Freeman as Hajj, Julia Migenes as Lalume, Stephen Hill as the Caliph, Katrina Murphy as Marsinah, Frank Middlemass as Omar Kayyam and David Adler as the Wazir, with the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Kenneth Alwyn.

series presented a staged concert in February 2006, starring Brian Stokes Mitchell and Marin Mazzie.

[1][20] The musical was revived in 2007 by the English National Opera at the London Coliseum and starred Michael Ball, Faith Prince and Alfie Boe.

[citation needed] The musical was made into a Cinemascope film in 1955 by MGM, directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Howard Keel as Hajj, Ann Blyth as Marsinah, Dolores Gray as Lalume, and Vic Damone as the Caliph.

An Armstrong Circle Theater[21] TV version premiered on ABC in 1967 starring Barbara Eden as Lalume, José Ferrer as Hajj, Anna Maria Alberghetti as Marsinah, and George Chakiris as the Caliph.

A 1964 Decca recording was conducted by Mantovani with Robert Merrill (Hajj), Adele Leigh (Marsinah), Kenneth McKellar (Caliph), Regina Resnik (Lalume), Ian Wallace (Wazir) and The Mike Sammes Singers.

An abridged 1964 Capitol version was conducted by Van Alexander with Gordon MacRae as Hajj and the Caliph, Dorothy Kirsten (Marsinah), Bunny Bishop (Lalume), Johnny Guarnieri, Richard Levitt, Salli Terri and the Roger Wagner Chorale.

as bonus tracks was conducted by John Owen Edwards with Donald Maxwell (Hajj), Valerie Masterson (Marsinah), David Rendall (Caliph), Judy Kaye (Lalume), Richard Van Allan (Wazir), Bonaventura Bottone and Rosemary Ashe.

[23] A 1991 Sony Broadway version with new orchestrations by conductor Paul Gemignani stars Samuel Ramey (Hajj), Ruth Ann Swenson (Marsinah), Jerry Hadley (Caliph), Julia Migenes (Lalume), Dom DeLuise (Wazir) and Mandy Patinkin (Marriage arranger).