The Shadow

Libretto by Sam Norman, Score by Ivette Herryman Rodríguez

A simple experiment goes terribly wrong. A man accidentally detaches himself from his shadow, which flits off into the night. No matter how hard he tries, he’s unable to recover it, and eventually he is forced to move on… until the evening he receives an unexpected visitor.

Adapted from the twisted tale by Hans Christian Andersen, The Shadow explores the fragility of identity, and how easily reality itself can be usurped by a good story.

This 40-minute opera was developed as part of American Lyric Theater’s Composer/Librettist Development Program, under the supervision of Mark Adamo.

The Shadow received its premiere in concert form at Symphony Space, New York City, in June 2025. The conductor was Kelly Kuo, the pianist was Jason Wirth, and the singers were Kenneth Overton (The Scholar), Daniel Moody (The Shadow) and Jennifer Zetlan (The Princess). ALT’s Artistic and General Director is Lawrence Edelson.