This is the 1953 original Broadway cast recording, digitally remastered and reissued on CD by Columbia/Sony in 2000. It stars Alfred Drake, Doretta Morrow, Richard Kiley, Joan Diener and Henry Calvin and runs for about 58 minutes.

Kismet is a lavish musical Arabian fantasy set in Baghdad, following a poet who assumes the identity of a beggar named Hajj and becomes caught up with a scheming Wazir, romance and political intrigue. The score by Robert Wright and George Forrest is particularly unusual because it adapts melodies from the music of Russian composer Alexander Borodin.

The best-known songs include:

“Stranger in Paradise”

“Baubles, Bangles and Beads”

“And This Is My Beloved”

“Fate”

“Rhymes Have I”

“The Olive Tree”

“Not Since Nineveh”

“Sands of Time”

Alfred Drake is the star of the recording, giving a wonderfully commanding performance as Hajj. Doretta Morrow is also excellent, while Richard Kiley introduces “Stranger in Paradise” in the original production.

The 2000 CD is especially worthwhile because it was digitally remastered and restored, with the original show presented in its proper sequence. It also includes archival material and interviews with members of the original creative team and cast.

Overall: 9/10. A superb example of classic 1950s Broadway musical theatre, with a magnificent cast and a wonderfully lush, romantic score. Definitely a keeper if you enjoy vintage musical-theatre recordings.