THEATER’S SALE NEAR? : SEBASTIAN’S HALTS PLAY IN WALKOUT

Sebastian’s West Dinner Playhouse has halted its production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “South Pacific” while negotiations with a prospective buyer for the theater continue, the owner of the San Clemente playhouse confirmed Thursday.

John M. Winkley, who purchased the theater during federal bankruptcy court hearings last July, said Sebastian’s is close to being sold and that the popular musical, which opened June 6, probably will not resume until talks are resolved.

Winkley, who has been searching for a buyer for the past year, declined to name the interested party and would not reveal any sale conditions or the asking price.

The show was stopped after last Sunday’s matinee and Winkley told the 15 actors in the production that performances could resume at any time.

“We’ve been told there is an interested buyer who is ready to turn things around,” said Adrienne Hatcher, who plays the role of Bloody Mary. “But we’ve been hearing that every day. The whole thing has caused a lot of insecurity around here.”

The show opened its brief run without the presence of most of the production crew. The director, choreographer, costumer, lighting designer, production manager and stage manager had walked out June 4 in a salary dispute, claiming that Winkley did not pay them as scheduled. However, Winkley said he thought that a verbal agreement had been reached allowing him until the end of “South Pacific’s” run in August to meet his obligations.

Winkley declined Thursday to talk about the status of the salary dispute, but said earlier that he felt the non-union crew members had violated their contracts by walking out and that he is no longer obligated to make payments. At least one of the crew, set designer Gil Morales, vowed to sue for the rest of his salary.

Although Sebastian’s lost money on its previous show, “Leonardo the Florentine,” Winkley maintained that the theater is not close to bankruptcy. “This is a good playhouse with a good future,” he said.

Sebastian’s, along with the Harlequin Dinner Playhouse in Santa Ana and the Grand Dinner Theatre in Anaheim, is among the major dinner theaters in Orange County.