Previews of Tustin Play Canceled

Construction at the L.P. Repertory Company’s new 150-seat dinner theater in Tustin has forced the cancellation of tonight’s and Wednesday’s previews of “Bullshot Crummond.” The 1930s’ comedy, a British detective sendup, will open Friday as scheduled with a preview on Thursday.

The nonprofit troupe, which is building the theater in a former clothing store at 15732D Tustin Village Way for about $50,000, was founded in 1977 by Sarah Coleman and produces “more than 400 shows a year” for children in elementary schools throughout Southern California, according to administrator J.D. Fiske.

Fiske said the troupe hopes to finance its children’s productions--performed by the Lilliput Players--with earnings from the adult dinner-theater venture. The theater company has operated out of Coleman’s home in Tustin until now. “Sarah has always dreamed of having her own theater,” Fiske said. “Now it’s happening.”

The funds for construction are being taken from an $80,000 endowment that Coleman built up over the years. She retired from actively managing the theater company a year ago because she suffers from Lou Gehrig’s disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), Fiske said. Before that, she added, L.P. produced eight summer seasons of adult dinner-theater at the Muckenthaler Center in Fullerton.

“We feel we’ve got the hang of it,” Fiske said.

Unlike Elizabeth Howard’s Curtain Call, another Tustin dinner theater, L.P. will not stage many musicals. “We’ll be doing more comedy and drama,” she said.

L.P. had planned to inaugurate its new theater with “The Rainmaker,” but the rights were not available. It settled on “Bullshot Crummond” because, among other reasons, it has done the comedy before.