We Tried It: I Spent the Weekend at Neil Patrick Harris' Murder Mystery Party—and Lived to Tell the Tale

Mar. 15, 2025

Neil Patrick Harris at his Murder Mystery Party at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, Mass.Photo:Adahlia Cole and Colin Peck

Adahlia Cole and Colin Peck

Chef Sebastian Sinclair was dead. His death was ruled an accident—or so the storyline claimed. But something felt off…

When I arrived atNeil Patrick Harris' exclusive murder mystery party atCanyon Ranchin Lenox, Mass. I knew this would be no ordinary weekend.

“As both a lifelong murder mystery fan and immersive theatre enthusiast, I jumped at the chance to create something exciting, puzzling, and unique at Canyon Ranch,” Harris who partnered with Capital One for the event, told PEOPLE. “It was a LOT of work for a one-weekend performance, but it seemed like everyone involved had a murderously good time.”

The hundred or so guests were made up of Harris’s friends, industry colleagues and a select bunch of Capital One card holders, but PEOPLE was the only publication allowed in on the sleuthing.

Canyon Ranch in Lenox, Mass.Adahlia Cole and Colin Peck

The mystery began in my room, where I found a detective’s handbook and cryptic notes scattered across the bed. One ominously read: “Sebastian’s death never felt quite right to you. Could it really have been an accident? You are here to catch a murderer.” Another invited me to a memorial bonfire that Friday evening to honor the late chef.

Neil Patrick Harris and guests at his Murder Mystery Party at Canyon Ranch.Adahlia Cole and Colin Peck

We learned Sinclair had been involved in a hit-and-run accident with his driver, Carr, which killed a child.

My messy tart—made with strawberries, blueberries, almonds, and creams I couldn’t name—somehow won, thanks to Harris finding my “totally uninterested” attitude amusing. My prize? Three minutes of one-on-one time with Neil, aka Colton Sterling, where we discussed possible suspects and theories.

Neil Patrick Harris at his Murder Mystery Party at Canyon Ranch.Adahlia Cole and Colin Peck

Saturday evening, the drama reached its peak during a lavish five-course dinner under a heated tent. The menu featured a Crenn Caesar salad, savoy cabbage, steak wing lamb, and soy custard, paired with fine wines. But before dinner was over, the chef’s driver, Charlie Carr, was killed.

The tension escalated when a dinner guest was poisoned for suggesting Sinclair’s death wasn’t an accident, putting her in the killer’s crosshairs.

In the end, we learned the killer and his motive: SPOILER: It was Sinclair’s lawyer and business partner, Vincent Stone, who killed Sinclair to hide the truth and save their business.

Harris told PEOPLE of the special experience, “Who knows when we’ll get to create another… but my creative synapses are firing on all cylinders right now, so fingers crossed someone gets to die again soon. Umm, wait, that came out wrong…”

From bonfires to dessert competitions to unraveling the killer’s motive, every moment was thrilling and immersive. By the time the mystery was solved, I was completely hooked—and wasn’t ready for it to end. For any mystery fan, this was truly a weekend todiefor.

source: people.com