Iroquois Theatre fire the "Chicago Tribune", one of the "Top Five Funniest Shows of 2011" by WBEZ Radio and one of the "Twelve Outstanding Ensembles of 2011" by "Time Out Chicago"'s Kris Vire. The Ruffians theater company has remounted the production during the Christmas holiday period each year since 2013, mostly with the original cast. Iroquois Theatre fire The Iroquois Theatre fire happened on December 30, 1903, in Chicago, Illinois. It was the deadliest theater fire and the deadliest single-building fire in United States history. At least 602 people died as a result of the fire, but not all the deaths were reported,
Oriental Theatre (Chicago) (later the Colonial Theatre) site of a disastrous 1903 fire that claimed over 600 lives. Although the façade looks identical, the Oriental retained nothing from the building that once stood on the same site. The Oriental continued to be a vital part of Chicago's theater district into the 1960s, but patronage declined in the 1970s along with the fortunes of the Chicago Loop in general. Late in the decade, the theater survived by showing exploitation films. It closed in 1981 and was vacant for more than a decade. The Oriental is one of several houses now operating in Chicago's revitalized