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THEATER ROAD TRIP
SONORA -- Sometimes I wait for years to see a show. Example: I bought the cast album of a sweet and tuneful off-Broadway offering called “The Great American Trailer Park Musical” probably close to a decade ago. I loved it. And whenever I listened, I’d idly think that at some point I’d finally get to experience an actual production. [caption id="attachment_4257" align="alignnone" width="1200"]RWM_6018 copy This side of the tracks: The cast of "The Great American Trailer Park Musical." Photo / Rich Miller, Sierra Repertory Theatre[/caption] Which is why I’m at Sierra Repertory Theatre at a Saturday matinee in the cozy East Sonora Theatre, all pumped up to -- finally! -- see “Trailer Park” the way it was meant to be. Live.

Theater road trip
HANFORD -- When you watch a play at the Temple Theatre, don’t worry about sitting too far away from the stage. “There’s a saying here that when it comes to your seats, there’s close and there’s damn close,” says John Rabe, theater manager for the 54-year-old Kings Players. [caption id="attachment_2008" align="alignnone" width="1200"]Photograph of man dressed as a priest, a dead body on the floor and a surprised inspector in the in the Kings Players production of 'Murder Me, Murder Me Not.' Photos / Kings Players Um, there's a body on the floor: Mike Spicer, left, Kim Spicer and Patrick J. Wilder in the Kings Players production of 'Murder Me, Murder Me Not.' Photos / Kings Players[/caption]

Today I launch an occasional series on The Munro Review highlighting community theaters in the central San Joaquin Valley. I decided to kick off the series with the Kings Players because for all the years I’ve lived in Fresno, I’ve never caught a production in Hanford.

Here’s my overview: The production: Playing through June 25 is the farce “Murder Me, Murder Me Not,” by William J. Springer. The arrival: You might think your GPS messed up when you drive toward 514 E. Visalia St. because it looks like a residential neighborhood. But sure enough, there’s the Temple Theatre standing proudly next to an ordinary house.