In the quiet beauty of the French Ardennes, where forest mist rolls through valleys and time seems to slow, Château Guillermo became the scene of something truly remarkable—a murder mystery reimagined through cinema and stage.
In 2023, the château was chosen by a Swiss theatre and film team as the atmospheric set for Agatha Christie’s classic play Le Visiteur Inattendu (The Unexpected Guest). What followed was not a traditional play, nor a simple film shoot—it was an ambitious experiment that wove together live theatre and filmed sequences, creating a performance unlike any other.
🎭 A Stage That Pauses for the Screen
During the production in Switzerland, the play unfolded live on stage—but at key moments, the actors would pause. The lights shifted, and suddenly the audience was transported into filmed sequences shot on location at Château Guillermo.
The screen would take over, showing shadowed corridors, candlelit rooms, and misty castle windows, all captured within the château’s walls. Then, seamlessly, the stage action would resume, as if the characters had stepped straight back from Guillermo into the theatre.
This back-and-forth between stage and screen gave Christie’s mystery a new depth and rhythm, pulling audiences further into its psychological suspense.
🎬 A Castle Becomes a Character
Though the live performance took place in Switzerland, Château Guillermo remained at the heart of the story. Its elegant salons, quiet staircases, and weathered stone became more than a backdrop—they were woven into the narrative itself.
By filming on-site, the production allowed the château’s presence to breathe into the play, adding a cinematic layer of realism that heightened the drama. Viewers weren’t just watching a mystery—they were wandering its corridors through the eyes of the characters.
📰 From Stage to Headlines
The innovative production drew attention not only from theatre-goers but also from the press. The event was covered in print, highlighting both the Swiss performance and the château’s unique role in bringing Christie’s story to life.
🎥 Watch the Mystery
A trailer was also created to capture the interplay of film and theatre. It offers glimpses of Château Guillermo transformed into a cinematic stage, merging perfectly with the live Swiss performance.
👉 Watch the trailer here
✨ Where Stories Linger
Though the cameras and stage lights are gone, traces of the mystery remain in every corner of the château. Today, guests can walk the same halls where Christie’s unexpected guest once appeared on screen.
And while no live play is being performed at Guillermo, there is a quiet thrill in knowing that this timeless place has already played a starring role in a story where reality and fiction so beautifully merged.
🏰 Thinking of Visiting?
Whether you’re a lover of theatre, cinema, or simply places steeped in story, Château Guillermo welcomes you.
Step into the setting.
Feel the echoes of Christie’s mystery.
And let the château’s walls tell their own tales.