An Invigorating Trip

“I wish.”

These restless words are at the beginning and the end of “Into the Woods,” the wise and witty musical by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine.

Even after “Into the Woods” opened on Broadway in 1987, wishes kept cropping up in Lapine’s mind, as the librettist and director thought about the show. His wishing led to an altered version of “Into the Woods,” now at the Ahmanson Theatre, with changes in the staging and design and a few slightly modified lines.

It would be a cruel irony if Lapine’s efforts got him into trouble. If the characters in this musical learn anything, it’s that desires can backfire when they come true. “Careful the wish you make,” wrote composer-lyricist Sondheim.

Fortunately, Lapine and Sondheim avoided that trap. Most of their changes make minor improvements in what was already a masterpiece. Blessed with an impressive cast, this new “Into the Woods” emerges from the thickets in triumph.

Those thickets can be thorny. By intertwining the familiar tales of Cinderella, Little Red Ridinghood, Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel with an original story about a baker and his wife who are unable to conceive a child, the plot of “Into the Woods” has, over the years, struck many first-timers as excessively intricate. The opening number, which introduces the plot strands, requires an audience to multitask to an unusual degree.

But for those who have seen many productions of the show, the complexity of the story and the emotions that it stirs up ensure that there is something fresh to appreciate with each new staging. So the chance to see a reworking by the original creators is a bonanza.

The simplest yet savviest change in this staging is literally in the hands of the Witch, played by Vanessa Williams. The Witch has a powerful second-act number, “The Last Midnight,” in which she expresses her impatience with the dithering of her fellow survivors in the face of a giant who has just killed her daughter Rapunzel, among others. Previously, the Witch did little during this number except sing it.

In Lapine’s new staging, the Witch seizes the Baker’s baby boy, whose conception was one of the key achievements of the first act, and virtually holds the infant hostage while she sings. She addresses a few of the lyrics directly to the boy and predicts that he, too, will lose his innocence.

This single stroke adds a chilling dynamism to the song and provides a splendid climax for Williams’ performance, which is indeed something to see. No offense to the other women who have played this role, but the transformation from crone to glamour-puss has never been as stark as it is with the preternaturally gorgeous Williams. After her metamorphosis, she struts around the stage like a model, showing off a striking red gown that retains just a suggestion, in back, of the multi-colored rags she previously wore. If anyone can embody the flash and pride of this scene, it’s Williams. She also has a strong, supple voice.

The Witch and Rapunzel (Melissa Dye) sing a duet, “Our Little World,” that wasn’t in the original production or recording, but it was added for London and has appeared in subsequent productions, so it’s not exactly new.

Second-billed John McMartin, as the Narrator and the Mysterious Man, gets some of the latest changes. Unlike past Narrators, he carries the flocks of Cinderella’s bird friends onstage, manipulating them as a rod puppeteer, even joining in their movements. McMartin handles the Narrator’s newly lighter touch well.

One of the most altered characters is Jack’s cow Milky-White, previously only an inanimate model, sometimes carried like a suitcase. This made Jack’s tender affections for the cow all the funnier. Now the cow is played by an actor in an elaborate cow suit. Although remaining on all fours, the cow returns Jack’s attentions with yearning gestures and joins in some of the group dances. Looking like a nod to Disney cartoon style, this change is more cute than comic. But the cow delights the crowd, especially the youngest viewers.

Also in the anthropomorphic department, wolves share the seduction duties in “Hello Little Girl,” leading Little Red Ridinghood astray. One wolf’s attention is diverted by Three Little Pigs, making their debut in this show and adding a fillip of amusement.

Little Red Ridinghood herself has a few new lines in an exchange with the Baker’s Wife on the subject of marital arguments. But her biggest change is that, with Molly Ephraim in the role, she looks like a real and slightly insecure kid, not an adult doing a cartoon version of a kid. Adam Wylie’s fervent Jack also has a clearly juvenile air--and because Milky-White is now a more authentic pet, Jack isn’t quite as dim as he used to be.

Most of the other human roles haven’t changed much. But Stephen DeRosa and Kerry O’Malley as the Baker and his Wife, the two princes (and wolves) Christopher Sieber and Gregg Edelman, and Laura Benanti as Cinderella are all strong. A prerecorded Benanti also plays Cinderella’s mother, who appears as an enlarged projection from within her tree, the size of the image clarifying the exposition.

Marylouise Burke brings a distinctive crinkliness to the role of Jack’s mother, but on opening night her singing sounded wobbly. Costume designer Susan Hilferty gave her a funny, flashy outfit in the second act, paid for by Jack’s loot from the Giant--a detail that slightly bolsters the Giant’s case.

Douglas Schmidt’s woods set, a lush canopy of green, gives way to barren branches for most of Act 2 but returns in time for the ending. Other set pieces are built within huge models of old books of fairy tales. Even Rapunzel’s castle now is part of a big book and also serves as the perch from which the Giant’s Wife is finally killed.

The terror of the Giant’s Wife is conveyed through shadows and sounds (the recorded voice of Judi Dench). At the end, we see only her fallen spectacles. Then the characters sweep the stage, beginning their lives anew. The parallel to recent world events is never made explicit, but it won’t go unnoticed in this richly textured production.

*

“Into the Woods,” Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A. Tuesdays-Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m.; Thursdays March 7, 14, 21, 2 p.m.; this Sunday, Feb. 24, March 3, 7:30 p.m. Ends March 24. $25-$70. (213) 628-2772. Running time: 3 hours.

John McMartin...Narrator/Mysterious Man

Laura Benanti...Cinderella

Adam Wylie...Jack

Stephen DeRosa...Baker

Kerry O’Malley...Baker’s Wife

Molly Ephraim...Little Red Ridinghood

Vanessa Williams...Witch

Gregg Edelman...Cinderella’s Prince/Wolf

Christopher Sieber...Rapunzel’s Prince/Wolf

Melissa Dye...Rapunzel

Chad Kimball/Jennifer Malenke

...Milky-White/Horse

Pamela Myers

...Cinderella’s Stepmother/Granny

Tracy Nicole Chapman...Florinda

Amanda Naughton...Lucinda

Marylouise Burke...Jack’s Mother

Dennis Kelly...Cinderella’s Father

Trent Armand Kendall...Steward

Produced by Dodger Theatricals, Stage Holding and TheatreDreams. Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Book and direction by James Lapine. Musical director Paul Gemignani. Choreography by John Carrafa. Set by Douglas Schmidt. Costumes by Susan Hilferty. Lighting by Brian MacDevitt. Sound by Dan Moses Schreier. Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick. Special effects by Gregory Meeh. Projections by Elaine J. McCarthy. Illusions by Jim Steinmeyer. Production supervisor Beverley Randolph.