For Warwick’s Bob Flodin, attending the reopening of Matunuck’s beloved Theatre by the Sea was “like coming home.

“It’s a big part of Rhode Island,” said Flodin.

Rachel Brown, of Barrington, who plays Panacea, puts on a hair piece before last night’s show, the Stephen Sondheim hit A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

The Providence Journal / Glenn Osmundson

Flodin and his wife, Joanne, were taking in a meal at the Seahorse Grill, the restaurant adjacent to the 500-seat theater, which had been closed for almost four years. The previous owners, Renny Serre and Laura Harris, grew tired of producing shows and put the South County landmark up for sale at the end of the 2003 season. It was recently bought by Bill Hanney, a Massachusetts cinema chain owner.

“It’s amazing coming back and seeing some of the same people,” said Flodin.

Last night saw the first of two previews for the Stephen Sondheim hit A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Opening night is tomorrow; for $75 you can sip champagne before the show and join the cast for a reception afterwards.

About 400 people turned out for last night’s preview, according to Hanney, who was limping about on crutches. He said he awoke about 10 days ago with a painful foot, which was later diagnosed as a tendon problem. But that didn’t stop him from showing up to greet theatergoers.

“I’m here to have fun,” said Hanney, who also owns an eight-screen complex in South Kingstown.

Serre and Harris made sure the grounds and the buildings were kept up during the four years the theater was dark. The gardens with their lilies and holly hedges looked especially lush, glistening in the sun after a late-afternoon downpour.

By 6 p.m. there was already a decent crowd in the restaurant, mostly fans who had been frequenting the quaint, old barn theater for decades and who have fond memories of taking their children to shows.

Linda Gregoire, of Cumberland, remembers bringing her daughters to Annie when they were 4 and 7. Now they are 28 and 32.

“That’s a while,” said Gregoire, who was attending last night’s show with her husband, Andy. The Gregoires happened to be vacationing in the area and were elated to see the theater was open again.

In the future, the Gregoires said they saw no reason not to make the drive from Cumberland to attend shows at Matunuck.

“It’s like an institution,” said Andy.

For Anne and Bill Gibson, who have been coming to Matunuck since the 1950s, last night was their 43rd wedding anniversary. The couple is originally from Rhode Island, but live in Arlington, Va., where Bill is in the Foreign Service. They were often sent overseas because of Bill’s work, but whenever they were on leave they’d spend their summers in South County and make sure they made it to Matunuck.

“We’re so glad it’s back,” said Anne Gibson. “Everyone’s rooting for it.”

Hanney has plans to renovate the restaurant during the winter so it will be ready for next summer, when the theater is scheduled to present a full season of four shows. But most diners seemed pleased that it had not changed much, that it still had the same theatrical posters, the same cozy booths and baby grand.

“It’s so clean and neat,” said Elaine Whaley, of Peace Dale. “They did a wonderful job.”

Whaley and Marilyn Murphy, old friends, were sharing one of those booths. Whaley said the waiter recognized them and said, “Here are my girlfriends.”

Whaley, who was the maid of honor at Murphy’s wedding 50 years ago, said she’s been coming to Matunuck since the 1950s, when she saw actress Tallulah Bankhead. That was when a number of stars graced the stage for the historic theater, now more than 70 years old.

Both women had four children and their youngest married one another. Each Christmas, the couple gives their mothers season tickets to Matunuck.

Seats at Theatre by the Sea are as coveted as low-number license plates in Rhode Island. It is said people have gotten tickets through a divorce settlement or a relative’s will.

Murphy waited in line for hours to make sure she and Whaley got their old seats last night — front row, right.

“It’s like Red Sox tickets,” Hanney said the other day. “I could be out front scalping them.”

Hanney said last month that the theater logged about $100,000 in ticket sales the first day the box office was open in July.

The theater and several other properties initially went on the market in July 2003 for $5.9 million. But after selling off a motel and inn where actors stayed, the price dropped to $1.795 million. Town records show that Hanney bought the theater, the restaurant and almost 7 acres of manicured grounds for $1.5 million.

Hanney produced some truck-and-bus musicals in theaters in the Springfield, Mass., area in the 1980s.

But Matunuck is different. There shows are built from scratch, except for the current offering. Hanney had so little time to put A Funny Thing together that he rented the sets and costumes.

Hanney will produce the shows, Amiee Turner will direct, and Joel Kipper will serve as managing producer. Turner and Kipper, who have considerable theatrical experience, wanted to buy the theater but couldn’t swing it. So they applied for jobs.

Back at the Seahorse Grill, sitting next to a Cats poster, Steve Ashbacher, who recently retired and settled in Charlestown with his wife, Diane, said he planned to get season tickets.

“It’s a great venue with very good talent,” said Ashbacher. “It’s nice to have something down the road.”

cgray@projo.com