by Nathaniel R
Did you know that Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread) is currently treading the boards in London? She's nominated for a Best Actress Olivier Award for playing Mary Tyrone in the Eugene O'Neill drama Long Day's Journey Into Night (a classic role which already scored an Oscar nod for Katharine Hepburn and a Tony for Jessica Lange). Her last performance is the day of the Oliviers (April 8th) after which she presumably gets a wee break before coming back to America in May. She and Jeremy Irons will do the same show again at BAM in Brooklyn for American audiences.
Lesley's "Mary" is up against Imelda Staunton's "Martha" in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?! CLASH OF THE EPIC ROLES. If Imelda loses that contest to Lesley (they've both won Oliviers before) she still has another chance to win. She's double-nominated as she's also up for Best Actress in a Musical for Follies. Complete list of Olivier nominations here.