Kismet (musical) London's West End and has been given several revivals. A 1955 film version was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The musical was commissioned by Edwin Lester, founder and director of the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera, who conceived of a musical based on the 1911 play "Kismet" by Edward Knoblock. 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 melodies of Alexander Borodin, which they felt had a suitable exotic flavor and lush melodies. "Kismet" is set in a fictional Baghdad in the times of "The
The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!) Musical (Hunt), and Outstanding Lyrics (Bogart) and Outstanding Music (Rockwell). The musical re-opened off-Broadway on February 10, 2005 at the New World Stages V (Dodger Stages) and ran through November 13, 2005. The same director and cast were in the production. The musical has been performed in regional theater in the United States, in Canberra (Australia - 2009 and Feb 2010), in Canada, and on London's West End. The London production ran from March 31, 2006 through April 22, 2006 at the Sound Theatre. The musical was also produced by Theatre New Brunswick (TNB), based in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.