Long before he made the move into
Hollywood, Sam Mendes earned the praises of critics and audiences in the world of
live theater. In fact, Mendes founded the
Donmar Warehouse in
London in 1992 and remains there as
artistic director.
Mendes found much succss with his revivals of Stephen Sondheim shows such as Assassins and Company. The 1995 production of Company spawned a moderately successful revival Off-Broadway, however American theatergoers would not fully embrace his work until the Donmar production of Cabaret transferred to Broadway starring Alan Cummings and Natasha Richardson. The show still plays at the legendary Studio 54.
Most recently, Mendes directed the workshop production of Stephen Sondheim's first new musical since 1994's Passion. The project, originally called Wise Guys, chronicles the different paths taken by the Mizner brothers toward success in the business world. Displeased with Mendes' work on the production, Sondheim has decided to re-collaborate with Harold Prince on future incarnations of the show.