Currently starring in Machinal at the Royal National Theatre, Fiona Shaw was known more for her comedy roles until theatre director Deborah Warner cast her as Elektra and The Good Citizen of Szechuan and then as Ibsen's Hedda Gabler. This was In an acclaimed production in Dublin, which moved to London's West End. Shaw re-creates the role for Performance with a new supporting cast, Including Stephen Rea as Ejlert Lovborg , but still directed by Warner.
Nervous and agitated rather than haughty and frigid, Fiona Shaw 's Hedda breaks with tradition. "Hedda is often called strong-willed," she comments, "but where is the evidence in the play for this? To me, Hedda is terribly ordinary."
