Once again, the Shadow Mountain Community Players will perform for Pahrump.

The choice for this season's spring play is "Curse of the Cobra's Kiss," a tongue-in-cheek, who-done-it melodrama written by Craig Sodaro.

The performance invites audience participation to help solve a hilarious mystery staged in Egypt during the 1920s.

The play begins with the discovery of "King Rottentux" tomb by "Professor Tommy Towers." The marvelous find elicits a fabulous dinner party at the estate of "Professor Towers" to celebrate the success.

Unfortunately, not all the guests are sharing the joy, as someone brings a cobra to the party as a very unwelcome party crasher.

As the story leads to murder, the job of the audience becomes listening and watching the cast to help determine who had not just motive, but the most motive; along with the nerve and ruthlessness to carry out the crime.

Additional characters are Towers' wife, a jealous secretary, a Hollywood director, two vengeful starlets, the mysterious fortune-teller, the great detective "Hercules Porcchop" and super-sleuth "Jessica Maples."

The choices and motives will unfold until someone in the audience solves the mystery.

At the end of the show, ballots will be collected from the audience. The person who has solved the mystery or comes close will win a prize for their effort.

The Shadow Mountain Players originated with Carlton McCaslin who was once a member of the Pahrump Arts Council theater group.

His complaint surfaced because most parts for the actors were female and the part required the actor to sing

McCaslin said, "although I've been on stage in 'drag,' I still can't sing." His frustration led him to gather his family and start the Shadow Mountain Community Players.

In "Curse of the Cobra's Kiss," McCaslin will play the part of super-detective "Hercules Porcchop," while his wife Gayle directs.

Gayle is also the designer and manufacturer of the costumes. Laurie McCaslin designed and made the sets.

There are seven male parts and 14 female parts.

Gayle McCaslin said, "I didn't have to put out a casting call for this play. I went to the Pahrump Valley High School Drama Department and then to Pathways to give the children a chance to participate."

Pathways students aren't engaged in activities like acting as a part of their curriculum, so McCaslin feels it is of utmost importance to give them a chance to audition; get outside of themselves and behave as another character and stretch the imagination. She said, "I call them the forgotten children."

She didn't have far to look for actors to fill the adult parts. McCaslin said after their performance last year, "several people came up to me asking how they could join and when was the next performance."

There will, however, be a casting call around the end of May as the SMCP get ready for the annual melodrama performed as part of the Wild West Extravaganza. The play for the fall show has not been selected at this time.

The Knight's of Columbus are sponsoring the performance and half of the proceeds will go to benefit a local charity.

Jim Lynch, spokesman for the nonprofit organization said, "Last year, we donated money to the mortgage reduction fund for the church (Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church). This year we're looking at donating to the Special Olympics. We also help whatever other community interest needs it."

This kind of theater is usually accompanied by a dinner but the organization decided on another option.

McCaslin said, "I think they will offer beer, wine and sodas and finger type foods instead of a meal."

The play will be staged both tonight and Saturday night starting at 7 p.m. in the parish hall at our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church, 781 E. Gamebird Road. The tickets are a donation of $10 per person.

There will be another performance staged to benefit the Scott James family in late April. The 11-year-old James was killed in a recent ATV accident.

McCaslin said, "That performance will be at Manse Elementary where Scott went to school. " There is no exact date as of yet but the funds will go to help the family with expenses resulting from their son's death.