TORONTO, ON… How far would you go to get what you want? How far you would overextend yourself financially to grab the life you think you are entitled to live? Set in Barcelona at the turn of the twentieth century, The Shadow is a tale of intrigue, desire and deception. In this world premiere, writer Alex Poch-Goldin and composer Omar Daniel have created a world of duplicity in which a humble postman assumes the identity of a wealthy suitor to win a woman’s love. Determined to maintain the ruse at all costs, he is haunted by The Shadow as he spirals deeper into debt - an allegory for our time.

Raoul is a simple mailman desperate to be a more interesting person. He fantasizes about marrying the beautiful Allegra, the daughter of a wealthy gentleman on his mail route. In his daydream, he ‘wills’ himself into a dashing figure of the night -- Hernando tells Allegra that he is a wealthy fabric merchant and she is seduced. With a little ‘help’ from the local Don, Raoul succeeds in his transformation and successfully woos the beautiful Allegra. But when Raoul can’t pay back the Don, the mysterious Shadow begins to follow him. What will be the ultimate cost of Raoul’s greed and lies?

Tapestry Managing Artistic Director Wayne Strongman says: “After five years of development in our New Work Studio, we are thrilled to bring The Shadow to the stage. It’s an intriguing story and an exciting score from a brilliant team.”

Alex Poch-Goldin and Omar Daniel met in 2001 at Tapestry’s annual Composer-Librettist Laboratory and went on to create the twelve minute opera Lisa for Tapestry’s first Opera to Go in 2002. The pair committed themselves to creating a full-length opera. The Shadow, an original tale of intrigue, desire and destruction, is the culmination of that commitment.

“It is not an easy task to find a collaborator who shares your dreams and builds on them, but Omar has the talent to lift my writing to a new and amazing place, explains writer Poch-Goldin. “Omar and I have made a deep investment in each other and our hope is to create a unique and exciting new opera for Tapestry that will be the next big thing you didn’t expect.”

The creative team lead by director Tom Diamond and music director Wayne Strongman include a stellar cast featuring renowned Canadian baritone Theodore Baerg making his Tapestry debut as the Don and Allegra’s father, countertenor Scott Belluz is The Shadow, soprano Carla Huhtanen as Allegra, a comic turn by tenor Keith Klassen as the waiter and baritone Peter McGillivray as Raoul. Veteran Stratford lighting designer Robert Thomson and set and costume designer Camellia Koo, have created a stunning visual world reflective of Gaudi’s Barcelona. The Shadow is stage managed by Isolde Pleasants-Faulkner.

The Shadow was presented as a workshop production in the Ernest Balmer Studio in March 2007.

May 21 – 30, 2009
Berkeley Street Theatre - Downstairs, 26 Berkeley Street

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