Book Club

Christie's Plays

Agatha Christie wrote over a dozen plays, the most famous of which is The Mousetrap - the longest running play in the world. Here you can discuss each play in detail.

Warning: These discussions may contain spoilers!

The Unexpected Guest

Rea_Potter 28 Sep 08 at 6:21 p.m. GMT

I only read it but I think it has a great story.

The characters and the plot are good.

I wondered what the play likes.

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7 replies

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Rahat 18 Jun 11 at 12:09 p.m. GMT

Just finsihed this one. Antbody else noticed that the car on the top left corner of this site is the same one as in the cover of the   " The Unexpected Guest"?

I thought it was really good. A very light read but the ending was excellent.

Mr_Graves 08 Jan 11 at 11:39 p.m. GMT

You can watch the play on YouTube? How fantastic! I have just finished reading the Charles Osborne adapt, and although I could guess who shot Richard Warwick, I thought it was really great. Full of everything I love about Agatha Christie!

tenlittleindians 16 Sep 10 at 7:39 a.m. GMT

Unexpected Guest is like my all time favourite Agatha Christie novel! And to think a couple of years ago, I accidentally borrowed the book, requesting for another book. I decided to read it, and am glad I did. Agatha Christie, YOU ROCK!!!!

The ending to the Unexpected Guest blew me away! I watched the play on Youtube, and its pretty good, funny as hell though!

marymck 28 Jul 09 at 1:50 p.m. GMT

Isn't it from the Bible?  I'll go find my copy.

marcusbailius 24 Jul 09 at 2:15 p.m. GMT

Hi all,

You may just get your wish to see it... If you're in the right bit of the country!

The Compton Players Amateur Dramatic Society (www.comptonplayers.co.uk) are putting on "An Unexpected Guest" (1958) in the Autumn of this year. We are working out how to make it properly suspenseful as in some quarters, the plays seem to be performed almost for laughs (particularly with the accents) and we feel this is missing the point somehow. So a lot of groundwork is going on, sorting out how Starkwedder is played, and working up particularly finding the contrast between him and Major Julian Farrar, who I am playing. Hopefully, we'll get it right.

Anyway, a particular quotation has us puzzled:

Laura in the first act: "The door opens, and the unexpected guest walks in."

This echoes a quote from Hercule Poirot in the story "The Big Four" written in 1927. (I googled it, of course.) Captain Hastings says, in Chapter 1,

    'And that's not likely to occur,' I murmured ruefully. 'Unless at the eleventh hour "the door opens and the unexpected guest comes in" '.

    I quoted the old saw with with a slight laugh, and then, in the pause that succeeded it, we both started as a sound came from the inner room.

So the question is, which someone who knows Agatha Christie's writings very well might know, just where does that quote come from?!

Anyone have any ideas?

agatha_nunu 02 May 09 at 9:10 p.m. GMT

I read it some months ago and I loved it! It would be great to see the play...

jolley74 01 Apr 09 at 7:15 p.m. GMT

i havnt read this yet but will do soon