The Unexpected Guest
A claustrophobic thriller set on a foggy night in three acts
2 hours 15 minutes
10
Synopsis
Lost in the fog, a stranger seeks refuge in a nearby house only to find a man shot dead and his wife standing over him with a smoking gun. But the woman’s dazed confession is anything but convincing and the unexpected guest decides to help.
Remarkably, the police clues point to a man who died two years previously but as the ghosts of a past wrong begin to emerge, a tangled web of lies reveals family secrets and chilling motives, where the real murderer turns out to be the greatest mystery of all.
You can keep a secret very well. Either you committed this murder yourself, or you know who did.
Play information
Location
The action of the play takes place in the study of Richard Warwick in South Wales near the Bristol Channel.
Running time
2 hours 15 minutes
Character list
- Number of male characters: 7
- Number of female characters: 3
- Richard Warwick
- Laura Warwick
- Michael Starkwedder
- Miss Bennett
- Jan Warwick
- Mrs. Warwick
- Henry Angell
- Sergeant Cadwallader
- Inspector Thomas
- Julian Farrar
More about this play
The Unexpected Guest opened at the Duchess Theatre in August 1958, where it was to prove a critical and financial success. It played for a total of 612 performances, breaking all previous box office records at the theatre.
The impact is tremendous... Just when the murder seems solved... Miss Christie pulls her almighty knock out punch. I admit her complete victory.
