It’s Cariou’s kismet

Len CARIOU has been wintering in L.A. for three years now. He was in the touring production of “Copenhagen” at the Wilshire Theatre in 2001-02 and last year starred in the premiere of Neil Simon’s “Rose and Walsh” at the Geffen Playhouse.

Now he’s tackling the Baghdad-set musical fantasy “Kismet,” playing the wily Hajj for Reprise!, the series that revives vintage musicals at UCLA’s Freud Playhouse. “Kismet” premiered in Los Angeles in 1953, then played on Broadway for nearly a year and a half.

Cariou was the original, Tony-winning “Sweeney Todd” and also received Tony nominations for “Applause” and “A Little Night Music.” He has performed a wide variety of classical stage roles in his native Canada as well as in the United States. He has been balancing rehearsals for “Kismet” with shooting of “The Onion,” a movie based on the satirical newspaper.

Question: Had you ever done “Kismet”?

Answer: I did it about 25 years ago or more in St. Louis. I played Hajj. On opening night, we had a bomb scare. They had to vacate the theater. Considering how the world is now and that it’s a show set in Baghdad, what an ironic twist.

Q: The show itself wasn’t a bomb?

A: No, it wasn’t. And it helps me now that I did it then, because I know the music.

Q: Is the show timely right now because it’s set in Baghdad?

A: I wondered if it had occurred to anyone that this might not be the right time, or maybe it’s exactly the right time. I’m not sure the producers had thought about it. But it’s timeless. The story doesn’t pretend to be about anything at all except love conquering all. It’s never bad to remind people of that. I’ve decided it’s not a question of taste. Take it as it is.

Q: Does the operetta-like music require more musical chops than most musicals?

A: It’s better if you have a “legit” voice rather than a belter. There’s no question you need some chops. On the other hand, there’s a good mix of musical styles in it. Songs like “Not Since Nineveh” could swing, or even rock.

Q: How do you protect your voice during this kind of cold and flu season?

A: I take vitamin supplements. Get my flu shot and pray. A cold was trying to get to me, but I beat if off with a stick.

Q: Is “Kismet” dated? Could it be revived now on Broadway?

A: It’s probably dated. But that’s the whole point of companies like Reprise! -- to take a look at these old chestnuts. And it might get a good Broadway revival. I’m not sure it could tour.

Q: When you were here in “Rose and Walsh,” you said you wanted to go with the show to New York. What happened?

A: I had a first refusal to do it in New York. For some reason, Neil [Simon] didn’t want me or Jane [Alexander]. He got around it by saying it was to be done at a nonprofit, the Manhattan Theatre Club, not Broadway, so the agreement wasn’t binding. We could have fought it. God knows, I’m glad I didn’t. I didn’t see it in New York, but I read the first draft of “Rose’s Dilemma.” He had solved some of the problems in the first act, but it was not really a different play.

Q: Who do you play in “The Onion”?

A: The Onion has become a television studio. It’s a sketch movie, like “Saturday Night Live,” but better. I play a news anchor, like Peter Jennings.

Q: A fellow Canadian.

A: I’m writing him a letter after I play this. I get to say a couple of things he probably wishes he could say.

Q: Are you still a Canadian or do you have U.S. citizenship?

A: I’m still a resident alien. I’ve lived in New York for decades. I don’t vote anywhere. But I think my wife and I will get our American citizenship, because we no longer have to give up Canadian citizenship.

Q: Is it an advantage in your profession to be a Canadian?

A: When American companies go to shoot in Canada and the government says they need some Canadian content to get tax breaks, that might influence producers.

Q: What do you think about the relationship between your two countries right now?

A: It’s a little frosty. Bush had a knee-jerk reaction to anybody who said no to Iraq. He and [former Prime Minister Jean] Chretien brought that to a boil. It was much ado about nothing. The mad cow scare hasn’t helped.

Q: You’ve been on stage in L.A. now for three winters in a row.

A: I try to do that. It’s usually a good time to be out here in terms of the business. It’s nice to get away from the weather. We look like geniuses yet again.

Q: So what do you do in L.A. when you’re not working?

A: Play golf. I brought the clubs this time, but I haven’t had a chance to unpack the bags. The movie shooting was meant to be finished in December. But when the fires happened, the dates changed because of location changes. I told the “Kismet” people that the shooting dates would now conflict with three days of their rehearsals, but they decided they could live with it. Maybe I’ll get to play golf next week.

Q: Do you go to the theater here?

A: I don’t go to the theater at all, anywhere. I’m a bad audience. I always say, “Why are you doing it like that?” It’s like a busman’s holiday for me.

*

‘Kismet’

Where: UCLA’s Freud Playhouse, 405 Hilgard Ave., Westwood

When: Opened Wednesday. Runs Wednesdays-Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 and 7 p.m. Ends Feb. 1.

Price: $60-$65

Info: (310) 825-2101