WOW, a win over Peoria

electrified Aeros pull off a 5-4 win over Peoria ..all goals in the third period..they woke up all right. Speedy Di Salvatore 2 goals, one a PP, and Ironman Noreau got the others. RAU-WOW got the SO goal and made 3rd Star. Ironman Noreau with 2 assists, the others were Almond Joy, Avalanche Kalus and King Duncan (Milroy). Now, Dimples (Anton) had TWO penalties while stopping 32 shots on goal...delay of game and roughing... Testy, Almond Joy (he IS turning into a roughie?), Falk and The Rock (Rogers) got the others. So is THIS AEROS team doing a come-back-guyz thing? As did last year's team! Ironman now leads the AHL as the highest scorer among defensemen.... Defensemen Scorers..yes, you read right!Just a little tidbit: No one since 1996 has scored 4 goals vs. Aeros. So Peoria broke that record. And Aeros now in 5th place with 53 points.

Now to another winner:
MOZART's DON GIOVANNI at the University of Houston.

Below the final scene Commendatore vs Don Giovanni - traditional staging with the Don Giovanni of Welsh Baritone Bryn Terfel.
Playing to a packed house, one of the largest attendance I've seen there, the student singers and players demonstrated the quality of U of H's music program.
Julia Cramer as Donna Anna and Gabriel Preisser as Don Giovanni absolutely stole the show. Preisser was outstanding. His Leporello, Kyle Knappenberger, also stepped up and performed rather well.

Priscilla Salisbury's soubrette soprano was chirpily pleasant as Zerlina

well paired with the Masetto of Cruz Sanchez. (Above 'Batti, Batti' in a traditional staging).

Rebecca Heath's rather strident and, at times very shrill, knifelike soprano portrayed Donna Elvira in a Xanthippe type fashion. Hard on my ears, alas.
Paul Hopper was a milksop kind of Octavio, rather out played by his Donna Anna, and the Commendatore Michael Kessler's voice was beautifully enhanced by technology to sound as coming from the deepest grave as only technical help could make possible. Now it did seem to me, that the Music Director, Maestro Russell Young, conducted with a slower tempo than I have heard elsewhere. Perhaps to accommodate the still developing voices of some of the cast?
The staging was modern, set in Washington, D.C. with strong hints to on going political and other events in the 'rarefied air' of government ;-).

The Don, a Senator ( can you guess who)! Masetto, hints to 'Jo the plumber'.. and so it went.
All in good fun and the 80% young audience lapped it up, laughing all the way.