Lyric Plays "La Marseillaise" Before Opening Of The Merry Widow
(CBS) -- Last night's opening at the Lyric Opera brought some in the audience to tears, but it was more about current events than the performance.
The Merry Widow is set in Paris, more than a century ago.
Before the performance, the Lyric's General Director Anthony Freud told the audience that they offer their thoughts and condolences to those suffering as a result of what he called the "horrifying violence" in Paris.
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Freud then asked the crowd to stand while the orchestra played "La Marseillaise," the French national anthem.
A spokeswoman for the Lyric says afterwards, some in the audience shouted of "vive la France" and others cried.
