Carol Lawrence and Joseph Campanella head the cast of Joe Di Pietro's Over the River and Through the Woods, opening Jan. 14, 2000 at El Portal Center's mainstage in NoHo. Others performers in the West Coast premiere include Erica Yohn, Joseph Cardinale, Shannon O' Hurley and Stuart Fratkin. Asaad Kelada directs the run, which will terminate Feb. 6.Di Pietro's comedy deals with doting grandparents doing their best to persuade their grandson not to accept an out-of-state career promotion, even resorting to a little bribery in the form of wonderful Italian dinners with the occasional blind date. Over the River opened Off Broadway Oct. 5, 1998 and is still running there. The play is the gala presentation of the new El Portal Center, which is located at 5269 Lankershim Blvd. in No Ho. For tickets call Telecharge (800) 233-3123. For subscriptions call (818) 508-4200.

-- By Willard Manus
Southern California Correspondent