'KISMET' AN ILL-FATED REVIVAL.

Byline: Evan Henerson Theater Critic

WE'LL FORGO the wisecracks - for the moment, at least - about exotic forms of torture, political correctness in harems and a first act so endless it would have grayed the hair of Sheherazade. The Reprise! production of ``Kismet'' isn't entirely an Arabian nightmare. It's just hugely disappointing.

Wrongly cast, jarringly costumed and directed with a languid awkwardness by Arthur Allan Seidelman, this ``Kismet'' really should have been a knockout. There's no lack of talent on the Freud Playhouse stage, and a case can certainly be made that the 50-year-old musical composed by Robert Wright and George Forrest (from the music of Alexander Borodin) is ripe for a revival. Baghdad jokes may not be entirely in fashion at present, but ``Kismet'' remains a strangely clever and quite a daffily fun show.

But with the notable exceptions of Jason Graae and Jennifer Leigh Warren, nobody seems to be having much fun in Seidelman's production. This cast of beggars, thieves, slaves and princes certainly seem to be working their guts out. And given the generous display of flesh - male and female - afforded by Helen Butler and Jeff Transki's costumes, I suspect many of them are also freezing.

Graae plays a corrupt police chief, the Wazier, in 11th-century Baghdad and has the pitch-perfect eyebrow raise to land a zinger like ``Baghdad is the symbol of happiness on earth.'' His rendition of the comic torture song ``Was I Wazier?'' is delivered with breezy brio. Honestly, this production could use about 10 Jason Graaes - five of each gender.

Except ``Kismet'' isn't the Wazier's play to purloin. The musical rightfully belongs to Haj the street poet who talks and schemes his way up the Caliphate's chain of command, from beggar to emir in a single day, nearly getting his daughter 86'd in the process.

Len Cariou, who plays Haj, has played plenty of wise men and deep thinkers. There's a certain ``You just try to guess my secret'' playfulness to some of his scenes, particularly with Haj's daughter Marsinah (Caryn E. Kaplan). And, yes, the voice that first sang the role of Sweeney Todd nearly 25 years ago is still in fine fettle.

But Haj is also supposed to be a wily Don Juan, and Cariou - who should have played this role 15 years ago - isn't entirely at ease among the throngs of slave girls and with the Wazier's frisky wife, Lalume (Warren, quite funny). Equally out of place, and also too old, is Anthony Crivello playing the love-struck Caliph who falls for Marsinah. The Caliph's got great songs (``Night of My Nights,'' ``Stranger in Paradise''), but the character's a bore and Crivello can't infuse him with blood.

Seidelman and choreographer Rob Barron get plenty of bawdy mileage out of their scantily clad harem girls and palace guards, and Graae has a wicked sight gag involving the beefiest guard and what appears to be tanning oil. PC this show will never be (witness the three princesses of Ababu who only speak ``Ababunian''), but costume skimpiness notwithstanding, the spirit of ribaldry is largely absent. And what's with all those contemporary outfits to start the show?

This ``Kismet'' is also a slow evening as well. The first act runs a too-leisurely 95 minutes. Things pick up after intermission as the plot (the book is by Charles Lederer and Luther Davis) kicks in. The music, lush and difficult, is ably handled by music director Gerald Sternbach and a larger-than-usual orchestra.

Those songs, indeed this very musical, should return to the revival circuit, probably with more rehearsal and production time than Reprise! can afford. Perhaps the kismet of ``Kismet'' will be better when such an environment becomes available.

Evan Henerson, [phone]

evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com

KISMET - Two stars

Where: Freud Playhouse, UCLA Macgowan Hall, Westwood.

When: 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday; through Feb. 1.

Tickets: $55 to $65. Call [phone].

In a nutshell: Jason Graae, the ace of West Coast musical comedy, shines in an otherwise disappointing production.

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Photo:

Len Cariou plays the cunning poet Haj, who is shown enjoying the fruits of his labors, in the Reprise! production of ``Kismet'' at UCLA.