Joan Diener, Star of Kismet and Man of La Mancha, Dies at 76
Joan Diener, who created the roles of Lalume in Kismet and Aldonza in Man of La Mancha, died of cancer on Saturday, May 13. She was 76 years old.
Born in Columbus, Ohio, Diener was a psychology major at Sarah Lawrence College. She made her Broadway debut in the 1948 revue Small Wonder. In 1953, she landed the role of Lalume in Kismet, cast by director Albert Marre. In a 2003 TheaterMania interview with Marre and Diener — who were married in 1956 — Marre said that when he accepted the offer to direct the show, Alfred Drake and Doretta Morrow were already signed to play two of the leading roles, and several actresses including Arlene Whelan and Lisa Kirk were being considered for the part of Lalume.
Diener recalled that she arrived for her audition straight from a beauty parlor, her hair in rollers, with two dogs in tow: “I sang an aria from Carmen. Albie said, ‘Oh, my dear, that’s not what we want. These are more popular songs — in a lower key.’ So I sang ‘From This Moment On.’ ” Diener got the role and won a Theatre World Award for her performance.
In 1965, Marre directed his wife and her Kismet co-star Richard Kiley in Man of La Mancha. The show ran for more than 2,300 performances and earned Marre the Tony Award for Best Director. Diener and Kiley reprised their original roles in a 1972 revival at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, and Diener’s last Broadway appearance occurred when she succeeded Sheena Easton as Aldonza in the show’s 1992 Broadway revival. Diener also appeared opposite Jacques Brel in a French production of the musical, and in the London production with Keith Michell.
Her other Broadway credits include the short-lived Cry for Us All, opposite Robert Weede; and Home Sweet Homer, which closed on opening night, co-starring Yul Brynner. Diener also appeared in three shows that closed out-of-town: The Ziegfeld Follies (1956), with Tallulah Bankhead, Carol Haney, and David Burns; At the Grand (1958), opposite Paul Muni; and La Belle (1962), co-starring Menasha Skulnik.
Diener starred in her own 15-minute show on NBC-TV, played dramatic roles on Suspense and Studio One, and was a regular on The Fifty-Fourth Street Revue (CBS-TV, 1949-50) along with dancers Bob Fosse and Mary Ann Niles. Although she was signed by MGM, she made no films for the studio.
In addition to Marre, she is a survived by her children, Jennifer and Adam, and three grandchildren.
