"INTO THE WOODS" GOES OFF TO WAR.

Byline: - Evan Henerson

Apparently it's not enough that Cinderella, Rapunzel, Jack and Little Red Riding Hood must face a forest full of wolves, giants, witches and occasionally lecherous princes. In the Actors Co-op production of ``Into the Woods,'' the titular woods are now a war zone, too.

This is no great shake-up. The thematic overlay brought by director Jon Lawrence Rivera to Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Grimm fairy tale aims to keep the material timely (and perhaps save costumer Paula Higgins a few bucks substituting combat fatigues for court regalia in the process).

Accordingly, before a note is sung, the characters all assemble in the woods, where bombs and explosions are heard in the distance. Then it's time for ``Once upon a time ...'' The Giant, when she arrives in the second act, isn't hurling Scud missiles, but she may as well be.

Now, timeliness and contemporary themes aren't what a fairy tale musical of this caliber particularly needs. Who doesn't already relate to the plight of miserable Cinderella (played here by Denise Scarms)? Or to the lonely witch (Linda Kerns) seeking to keep her daughter' Rapunzel protected from the outside world by imprisoning her? (Rivera and musical director Brent Crayon have inserted the witch-Rapunzel duet ``Our Little World'' in this production.) We're capable of fretting about beanstalk-climbing Jack (Matt Lutz) without conjuring up images of soldiers in Iraq.

Still, given its familiar characters and not-so-murderous score (for this composer, anyway), ``Woods'' is the most adaptation-friendly of Sondheim's musicals, and Rivera's company is clearly having a grand old time climbing and swinging all over those ladders (which substitute for trees in Gary Lee Reed's set). Rivera moves the action briskly forward, and there isn't a sour voice in the company.

The production contains some frisky bits of business involving animals. The stolen hen that lays golden eggs is played by an actress (Sharline Liu), as is Jack's cow, Milky White (Tannis Hanson, fetchingly carrying empty bottles and munching everything put in front of her). Milk, for whatever reason, appears to be a dominant image in Rivera's production.

Perhaps with an eye toward keeping things family-friendly, Rivera has also toned down some of Lapine's racier elements. Apart from the lyrics, the wolf's (John Allsopp) song to Little Red (Deborah Lynn Meier), ``Hello, Little Girl,'' is largely testosterone-free. Some of the gorier fates that meet Cinderella's evil stepsisters have been similarly omitted.

So, little naughtiness and no bloodshed. But we're at war. Apparently to paraphrase a Sondheim lyric anything really can happen in the ``Woods.''

Evan Henerson, [phone]

evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com

INTO THE WOODS - Three stars

Our rating: Where: Crossley Terrace Theatre, 1760 N. Gower St., Hollywood.

When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday; through April 23.

Tickets: $25 to $30. [phone].

Playing: War and fairy tales can be hell. The Actors Co-op production of Stephen Sondheim's musical isn't.

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