The fire that charred a first-floor bathroom in the Orpheum Theatre, 216 State St., did not stop shows by UW-Madison a cappella groups the Madhatters and Tangled Up In Blue from going ahead Friday and Saturday.
\It was scary,"" said Madhatters member and UW-Madison junior Tyler Knowles. He said he heard about the fire on the radio Friday morning and fielded calls the rest of the day from ticket holders wondering if the show was still on.
Sandy Torkildson, president of the Greater State Street Business Association, said the fire should not have a major effect on the Orpheum.
Vandalism can lead to higher insurance rates, she said, but it usually takes a major event such as last year's Halloween riots to have a significant effect.
""We all deal with a certain amount of vandalism,"" she said.
The consequence this time was not all negative, given the publicity the event generated.
""It's really helped our sales, I think ... we had a sellout last night,"" Knowles said.
According to the Wisconsin State Journal, the Fire Department put out the fire within 15 minutes.
Officials from the Madison Fire Department called the fire an arson, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. Lt. Carl Strasburg of the Madison Police Department said he had not yet seen a report that the fire was caused by arson, but added the police and fire departments usually mount a joint investigation into arson cases.
Torkildson said she was not worried about another arson on State Street and said this was probably a one-time event.
Figuring out the motive of an arsonist is difficult, said Ernesto Martinez, a division chief with the Fire Department.
""Half the people get scared off after they do it,"" he said. ""The other half think they want to accomplish their mission.\
