Shaken but defiant, last month the cast of the Russian musical "Nord-Ost" staged a sort of reunion and memorial in memory of the 128 people killed after Chechen rebels stormed a Moscow theater during the show in October 2002.
Sunday's final benefit concert in early December, entitled "Nord-Ost, we are with you!," was held in Moscow's Rossiya hotel instead of the original venue, which was damaged in the siege.

The show consisted of scenes from the popular musical, which recounts the tale of a Russian Arctic explorer, as well as numbers from other well-known musicals, including "Miss Saigon," "Oliver!" and "Les Miserables."

The memorial concert weekend -- a similar show was held on Saturday -- marked the first time the cast and orchestra from the blighted musical had been reunited on stage since the hostage-taking drama which also claimed some of their number.

"We went on stage and it was our first scene. We stood up and started to sing, and then all of a sudden the audience started to stand up...all 2,500 people stood up as one," actor Mark Podlesny told NTV television.
"We stood there and sang, but I felt that everyone had a lump in their throat," he added.

On October 23, about 50 guerrillas, armed with explosives and automatic weapons, stormed the theater in southeastern Moscow taking about 800 people hostage and demanding that Russian troops quit their homeland.
After three nights, Russian special forces stormed the building using an incapacitating gas to stun the gunmen. All but two of the hostages who died in the siege were killed by the gas, 41 rebels also died.

REBUILDING THEATER AND MORALE
A series of concerts had already been planned to mark the first anniversary of the musical. But after the hostage siege, the organizers decided to dedicate the performances to the victims of the attack, which took place in the heart of Moscow.

Profits will go toward replacing sets and costumes destroyed in the siege and repairing damage to the theater.
"The building where this show was being performed will be rebuilt," producer Alexander Tsekalo told NTV. "I cannot name the exact date when the first show will take place, but we want it as soon as possible, everybody wants this."
NTV also said the show's producers were planning to take the musical to New York for a special performance on September 11 next year. Russian media have already dubbed the siege "Russia's September 11," in reference to the attacks against the United States on that date last year.

Some former hostages were among the audience at Saturday's concert, including "Nord-Ost" writer-producer Georgy Vasilyev. He led a minute's silence before the show began.

The audience stood to remember the victims. Eight places were left empty in the orchestra pit in memory of musicians who were killed.

Tears and applause accompanied the orchestra as it struck up the show's opening theme.