http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/cb14c340-916a-11e2-b839-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2Om4o9W4z

“A five star performance”

It’s early evening in the opulent foyer of the Corinthia Hotel in London. Guests perch on the lounge seats beneath a huge spherical crystal chandelier, picking at olives and sipping aperitifs, or hover around the floral arrangements glancing at their watches. Suddenly a distressed young woman bursts out of the restaurant, hobbling across the marble floors on her high heels and leaning on the arm of a member of hotel staff. Weeping and muttering urgently into the ear of her companion she traverses the room. Seven minutes later, she does the same again. Nobody bats an eyelid. Or if they do, they hide – read more

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/9948887/Above-and-Beyond-Corinthia-Hotel-London-review.html

Four Stars

The huge appetite for “immersive” theatre shows no signs of abating. This week, Punchdrunk announced their “biggest” UK show to-date,The Drowned Man, a co-production with the National, which – coming from a company that takes over entire buildings with its magna opera – is saying something. The venue, an abandoned property in the heart of London, yet to be disclosed, boasts some 200,000 square feet of space. Although there are other excellent outfits working in this burgeoning site-specific field – Shunt, dreamthinkspeak and bumbumtrain to name three obvious examples – Punchdrunk’s Felix Barrett is the leader of the pack when it comes to unlocking unusual doors. William – read more

So we’re open and by golly it’s been fun!  After the one and only preview we opened to the press and laid bare what we have been working on for all this time.  And what a relief to the entire team that it doesn’t seem to be in vain – the response has been very lovely and not just from press.  Twitter has kept us up to date with what our audiences have thought and there have been some very happy people posting after finishing their journey with us.

We are now in the very lovely position of trying to work out how to fit everyone into our – read more

Bit of a hiatus whilst we got into our groove with the show so here’s a profile of our wonderful Artistic Director – Mimi!

Full Name:  Mimi Poskitt

Role:  Artistic Director of Look Left Look Right.

What are your main tasks?:   Creating the show, recruiting the team, casting the performers and making the tea.

What has been your favourite moment so far whilst working on Above and Beyond?:  The day we walked into the Corinthia Hotel to begin the residency was a magical moment that I won’t ever forget.  As I looked round I tried to soak up everything I saw and I knew we were at – read more

http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2013/mar/24/above-and-beyond-review

Four Stars

The title of this one-on-one promenade show from Look Left, Look Rightis deceptive. It refers to the requirement that the staff of a luxury hotel always go “above and beyond” in their dealings with guests, but it also points to the secret worlds of a grand hotel that most of us never experience, whether it’s the view from one of the penthouse suites or the behind-the-scenes corridors where the staff work.

In fact, a grand hotel such as the Corinthia is very much like a theatre, with on-stage and backstage worlds, a place where the public rooms and spaces are stages set for people’s personal dramas – read more

http://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/theatre/above-and-beyond-corinthia-hotel–theatre-review-8541774.html

“Are you filming a reality television show?” asked a bemused American guest as I waited anxiously for the lift in the five-star Corinthia Hotel, dressed in a bellhop’s jacket. I assured her that her stay wouldn’t be disturbed and that I was instead a participant — indeed, the protagonist — in this new piece of immersive one-on-one theatre from the impressive Look Left Look Right company.

LLLR are this year’s winners of the Corinthia’s Artist in Residence award and they have given themselves the not inconsiderable challenge of shepherding audience members, at precisely-timed seven-minute intervals, around a series of individual encounters in a fully-functioning hotel.

The concept – read more

http://www.thelondonmagazine.co.uk/Going-Out/Reviews/Above-and-Beyond-at-the-Corinthia-Hotel.html

Although it’s a tough job, theatre critics should aim for some semblance of objectivity when they write. That makes Above and Beyond, currently playing at the Corinthia Hotel, difficult to deal with. Billed as “one-on-one immersive theatre” the thrill is that each audience member can make of it what he or she wills. Participation, which many, including reviewers, dread, plays a big part. It’s an exciting adventure, best commended by saying that at the end it’s something you’ll want everyone to do.

When it comes to the ‘doing’, Above and Beyond is a tremendous achievement on the part of its cast and apparently super-human director Mimi Poskitt. After being escorted – read more

http://www.whatsonstage.com/reviews/theatre/off-west+end/E8831363780998/Above+%26+Beyond.html

Five Stars

Never tried immersive theatre before? Don’t worry, neither had I. Although the concept isn’t a new one, the idea of removing the barrier between audience and participant is an unnerving one for many theatregoers. It’s a good thing, then, that Look Left Look Right’s new show Above & Beyond, set in London’s Corinthia Hotel, is such a zinger of a piece.

Exhilarating, funny and fast-paced, Morgan Lloyd Malcolm and Katie Lyons’ script whips you through the 70 allocated minutes without a moment to spare, leaving you full of adrenalin and thoroughly satisfied. You’ll participate in the daily life of this five star hotel (sort of), hear stories that will – read more

http://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/review.php/38338/above-and-beyond

If you like You Me Bum Bum Train you’ll love Above and Beyond. The one-on-one show takes you on a secretive solo journey around parts of the uber-swanky five-star Corinthia Hotel even the chambermaids have never seen.

Look Left Look Right, who thrilled audiences with their acclaimed 2011 interactive play You Once Said Yes, are this year’s artists in residence at the Corinthia. And their new, meticulously timed show again leads visitors through a dozen or so mini-performances which each very subtly aim to persuade you to reflect on the little decisions you make every single day.

This time, the theme is making your own dreams come – read more

http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/above-and-beyon-8653

Here is the text…

From Wesker’s The Kitchen and Storey’s The Contractor to James Graham‘s This House, the theatre has often given a fascinating look behind the scenes in other people’s work places. Above and Beyond shows us what it is like to be on the staff of a luxury hotel.

It is staged in the elegant Corinthian Hotel on the corner of Northumberland Avenue and Whitehall Place, just opposite the Playhouse, one of an international chain of glamorously opulent hotels and resorts of which this is the flagship. This performance enables you to explore its diverse attractions from its glitzy public rooms to its comfortable suites and bedrooms, its quiet dining rooms and – read more

Here’s the profile of our other writer, Morgan…

Full Name:  Morgan Lloyd Malcolm

Role:  Writer

What are your main tasks?:  Devising and writing the play.

What has been your favourite moment so far whilst working on Above and Beyond?:  This has been such a unique job that I’ve loved so many moments but for me it was doing the dress rehearsal of the play.  I had not been around for the tech rehearsals so had not seen any of the set, props or costumes and there is one particular moment which made me almost burst into tears of happiness it was so lovely.  I won’t – read more

So the last couple of days have been hectic to say the least.  On Monday we opened our doors to paying audience members for the first preview and then last night was our first press night.  As you can imagine a show of the size we’re attempting within a fully functioning hotel has it’s fair share of logistics so we have been trying to iron these out as much as possible.

Our main problem, due to the massive nature of this building, is audience members getting lost!  Thankfully due to the show being an ‘immersive experience’ such occurrences don’t necessarily harm the nature of the play but they – read more

So last night we did our dress rehearsal which meant all hands on deck and the whole show being run as it will be when our paying audience arrive.  For quite a few of us it was the first time we saw many of the scenes in all their glory; with full set, costume and props.  This was probably the closest we would get to the audience’s experience of not truly knowing what was going to happen next and it was so much fun!

We really can’t say much on here without revealing too much of the surprise but today we are busily rectifying timing and logistical issues – read more

Second profile of the day…Katie!

Full name:  Katie Lyons

Role:  Writer

What are your main tasks?:  Devising the show, writing the play.

What has been your favourite moment so far whilst working on Above and Beyond?:  The read through.  After 10 weeks of working on the show it was incredible to hear the characters come to life and meet our beautiful cast.

What is your favourite area of the hotel and why?  The hotel Lounge under the chandelier.  Whenever I’m in there working I always feel like a London girl about town and it’s great for people watching.

What is your main challenge due to – read more