It’s housefull at ‘terror’ theatre

‘‘I don’t think about the dead,’’ said Konstantin Grishin, 29, a serviceman who was selling tickets outside the theatre for about $30 apiece. ‘‘Of course I pity those who died, but that’s over.’’

Saturday would have been Nina Milovidov’s birthday, had she not died after security forces pumped gas into the theatre where she was a hostage, stormed in and killed the terrorists in an operation that cost 129 captives their lives. Of those, 127 — including Milovidov — were killed by the gas. Her parents, Dmitri and Olga Milovidov, tried to get tickets for the reopening but were unable to.

Instead, they spent Saturday at a cemetry and a church and then mourning Nina’s death with relatives at home. As part of an effort to expunge the aura of death around the musical, the Dubrovka was not merely cleaned and repainted but thoroughly renovated and remodelled. The government footed a huge $2.5 million bill. Security was tight. Sniffer dogs and sappers checked the interior before the show, and audience members passed through a metal detector.

Addressing the audience before the performance show, Mayor Luzhkov struck an ebullient note. ‘‘Life goes on,’’ he declared. ‘‘Nothing can stop it!’’ (LATWP)