Mendes Calls It Quits

It's been a busy old week for British wunderkind Sam Mendes. Fresh from announcing that he and Kate Winslet were now an item, the British director today revealed that he was quitting his role as Artistic Director of London's Donmar theatre. Mendes joined the Donmar in 1992, turning an ailing theatrical venture into a star-studded venture which regularly transferred its productions to Broadway. But it was Mendes' production of the Blue Room starring Nicole Kidman which rocketed him to worldwide fame for bringing 'pure theatrical Viagra' to the stage. Mendes, who was today lunching in London a few scant metres from Empire Online's offices, told journalists that 'It is time to hand the Donmar on to another generation,' calling his choice to leave a 'hard but fitting decision to make.'