- She played Lalume in the original 1953 Broadway production of the musical "Kismet" and Aldonza/Dulcinea in the original stage production of "Man of La Mancha". Richard Kiley appeared in both shows, and both were directed by Diener's husband, Albert Marre. They were also both choreographed by Jack Cole.
- She played Kathleen Stanton in "Cry For Us All", the unsuccessful Broadway musical version of "Hogan's Goat", and Penelope in "Home Sweet Homer" (a musical version of "The Odyssey") opposite Yul Brynner's Odysseus. This one was also unsuccessful.
- She has sung the title role in Jacques Offenbach's operetta, "La Belle Helene".
- She played Deedy Barton in the original Broadway production of Wolcott Gibbs' "Season in the Sun".
- (1955) She acted in Robert Wright and George Forrest's musical, "Kismet," at the Stoll Theatre in London, England with Alfred Drake and Doretta Morrow in the cast.
- (1953) Stage Play: Kismet. Musical. With Music From Alexander Borodin. Musical Adaptation by Robert Wright and George Forrest. Lyrics by Robert Wright and George Forrest. Book by Charles Lederer and Luther Davis. From the play by Edward Knoblock. Music orchestrated by Arthur Kay. Choral arrangements by Arthur Kay. Musical Director: Louis Adrian. Scenic Design and Costume Design by Lemuel Ayers. Dances and Musical Numbers Staged by Jack Cole. Directed by Albert Marre. Ziegfeld Theatre: 3 Dec 1953- 23 Apr 1955 (583 performances). Cast: Alfred Drake (as "Public Poet, later called Hajj"), Henry Calvin (as "The Wazir of Police"), Joan Diener (as "Lalume"), Richard Kiley (as "The Caliph"), Doretta Morrow (as "Marsinah, Haji's Daughter") [final Broadway role], Neile Adams (as "Diwan Dancer/Dancer"), Lucy Andonian (as "Ayah to Zubbediya"), Gerald Cardoni (as "Muezzin/Singer"), Tom Charlesworth (as "Chief Policeman"), Philip Coolidge (as "Omar"), Anita Coulter (as "Singer"), Patricia Dale (as "Dancer"), Thelma Dare (as "Ayah to Samaris/Singer"), Jack Dodds (as "Dervish/Akbar/Diwan Dancer"), Patricia Dunn (as "Princess of Ababu"), Bonnie Evans (as "Princess of Ababu"), Stephen Ferry (as "Wazir's Guard"), Truman Gaige (as "Jawan"), Hal Hackett (as "Hassan-Ben/Second Policeman"), Lila Jackson (as "Slave Girl/Singer"), Devra Kline (as "Dancer"), Beatrice Kraft (as "Princess Samaris of Bangalore"), Mario Lamm (as "Attendant"), Robert Lamont (as "Second Beggar/Singer"), Florence Lessing (as "Street Dancer/Princess Zubbediya of Damascus"), Earle MacVeigh (as "First Beggar/A Peddler/Prosecutor"), Jack Mei Ling (as "Doorman"), Jo Ann O'Connell (as "Street Woman/Singer"), Carol Ohmart (as "Slave Girl"), Richard Oneto (as "Imam of the Mosque/The Bangle Man/Singer"), Joyce Palmer (as "Slave Girl"), Louis Polacek (as "Muezzin/Singer"), Steve Reeves (as "Wazir's Guard") [Broadway debut], Ania Romaine (as "Dancer"), George E. Romaine (as "Dancer"), Reiko Sato (as "Princess of Ababu"), Rodolfo Silva (as "Third Beggar"), Barbara Slate (as "The Widow Yussef/Singer"), Kirby Smith (as "Muezzin/A Merchant/Singer"), Vida Ann Solomon (as "Dancer"), Sandra Stahl (as "Slave Girl"), Roberta Stevenson (as "Dancer"), Ralph Strane (as "Muezzin/Singer"), Lynne Stuart (as "Street Woman/Singer"), Erica Twiford (as "Singer"), Richard Vine (as "A Servant/Singer"), John Weidemann (as "Attendant"), Marc Wilder (as "Dervish/Assiz/Diwan Dancer"), George Yarick (as "Singer"). Understudies: Earle MacVeigh (as "Public Poet, later called Hajj"), Jo Ann O'Connell (as "Marsinah"), Roberta Stevenson (as "Princess of Ababu") and Richard Vine (as "Omar"). Replacement actors: Neile Adams (as "Princess of Ababu"), Carmen Austin (as "Singer/Slave Girl"), Gerald Cardoni (as "Imam of the Mosque/The Bangle Man"), Francis Compton (as "Omar"), Loren Driscoll (as "Singer/The Bangle Man"), Clifford Fearl (as "Hassan-Ben/Singer"), Ronnie Field (as "Assiz/Third Beggar/Doorman"), Ann Flood (as "Slave Girl"), April Gaskins (as "Dancer"), Phyllis Gehrig (as "Dancer"), Arthur Hammond (as "Muezzin/Singer"), Stuart Hodes (as "Akbar/Doorman"), William Johnson (as "Public Poet, later called Hajj"), Ingeborg Kjeldsen (as "Singer/Slave Girl"), Ingeborg Kjellsen (as "Slave Girl"), Mario Lamm (as "Wazir's Guard"), Nancy Lynch (as "Dancer"), Bruce MacKay (as "Second Policeman"), Elaine Malbin (as "Marsinah/Haji's Daughter"), Ethel Martin (as "Street Dancer"), George Martin (as "Dervish"), Richard Oneto (as "The Caliph"), Steve Reeves (as "Attendant"), Don Rogers (as "Muezzin/Singer"), Alan Smith (as "Wazir's Guard"), Kirby Smith (as "Chief Policeman"), Joanne Spiller (as "Singer/Slave Girl"), Sandra Stahl (as "Singer/The Widow Yussef"), Edward Thuren (as "Attendant"), Ted Thurston (as "Singer/Taman [role originally called "The Merchant"]/The Caliph"), Erica Twiford (as "The Widow Yussef"), Prue Ward (as "Princess of Ababu"), Don Weissmuller (as "Dervish"), Jeane Williams (as "Slave Girl"), Julie Wilson (as "Lalume"), Doris Yarick (as "Singer"). Understudies: Neile Adams (as "Princess of Ababu"), Gerald Cardoni (as "Hassan-Ben"), Clifford Fearl (as "Second Policeman"), Arthur Hammond (as "The Caliph"), Earle MacVeigh (as "The Wazir of Police"), Ethel Martin (as "Princess Samaris of Bangalore"), Carol Ohmart (as "Lalume"), Richard Oneto (as "The Caliph"), Kirby Smith (as "Jawan/The Wazir of Police/Public Poet, later called Hajj"), Joanne Spiller (as "Lalume"), Ted Thurston (as "A Peddler/Chief Policeman/First Beggar/Muezzin/Prosecutor"), Don Weissmuller (as "Akbar/Assiz/Doorman/Third Beggar"), Doris Yarick (as "Ayah to Zubbediya"). Produced by Charles Lederer. Note: Filmed by MGM (which paid $125,000 for the rights to the play) as Kismet (1955).
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