Sex and war. These two universals are, like their cousins death and taxes, woven into the very fabric of human history. And next week both the battle to procreate and the desire to dominate will be on the receiving end of ridicule as groups around the world -- and at least two in Tokyo -- give readings of the ancient Greek comedy "Lysistrata," by Aristophanes, to protest war against Iraq.

With war seemingly imminent as the United States lobbies the United Nations for support to attack Iraq, actors in Tokyo and around the world are uniting in an act of solidarity against war. Readers at hundreds of locations around the globe will present "Lysistrata" March 3 in what is billed by its organizers, New York-based actresses Kathryn Blume and Sharron Bower, as "the first global theater event for peace."

"It is really astounding how little people have changed since this play was written," said Takuya Matsumoto, director of a Japanese-language reading to take place in Tokyo.

"People still crave affection, still wage war -- and a few still take action to stop injustices or conflict," he said.

Despite the weighty subject matter, the play itself -- which asks whether love and libido might not be mightier than the sword -- is light fare. War-weary and men-starved, women in Ancient Greece unite in boycotting the bedroom in a bid to entice their menfolk to abandon the Peloponnesian War (431-404 B.C.) between Athens and Sparta. It is Lysistrata, whose name reportedly means "releaser of war," who convinced the women of Greece's warring states to undertake the sex strike.

And sure enough, the men, desperate for, uh, affection, ultimately drop their weapons for more amorous pursuits.

The story is replete with double entendres that tickle the funny bone, even if next week's readers will likely give their readings minus the large leather phalli sported by performers in ancient Greek theater.

Organizers in New York say that at last count there will be more than 650 presentations worldwide in some 40 countries. Tokyo will play host to at least one reading in English and one in Japanese.

One of the biggest challenges for the two groups has been the tight production schedule. Both presentations have been thrown together in a few weeks to a month.

"We really had to start from scratch," said Matsumoto, who said he has never been "a very political person."

"I just hope this will occasion more discussion about whether the U.S. really has to use force to disarm Iraq. Most people would rather see the problem resolved peacefully."

The character of Lysistrata, said Matsumoto, deserves our admiration for being sharp enough to understand what was going on and brave enough to take action. "Violence causes more violence. It is a vicious circle and it takes a lot of courage to put a stop to it," he said.

The plot of "Lysistrata" is, frankly, far-fetched -- word wouldn't have spread easily in Ancient Greece, and women of that era rarely traipsed around unchaperoned. The idea of a bedroom boycott is plain "scary," Matsumoto said.

Certainly the play is no blueprint for action -- although the official Lysistrata Project Web site notes that "though we are not necessarily suggesting these tactics be used to end this war, wouldn't it be fun if the First Lady . . . "

Instead, the two readings aim to spark debate and raise money for humanitarian causes. Proceeds from the English performance are to benefit two human-rights organizations working in Iraq, said director Leslie deGiere, responsible for the Tokyo International Players' production of Joe Orton's "What the Butler Saw" last month.

"People in different places, with different cultures, who could very well be enemies according to traditional ways of thinking are uniting around the world for the same purpose," Matsumoto said. "To me, that is the best thing about this project."