When Civic Center of Greater Des Moines President and CEO Jeff Chelesvig entertains a growing list of out-of-town producers trying to understand the phenomenal long run of “Triple Espresso” in Des Moines, he takes them first to Centro restaurant, which shares space with the hilarious comedy in the Temple for Performing Arts.

Chelesvig has found that Centro, an Italian restaurant that surprises out-of-town guests as uncharacteristically urban-hip for a Midwestern city, is a perfect place to discuss the synergy that made the play such a success. Cooperation among Centro and other 10th Street restaurants, Forty Three Restaurant and Bar and Raccoon River Brewing Co.; the Temple-based businesses Starbucks coffehouse, South Union Bread Café and Saley Nong’s Divine Flowers; an agreement with nearby ING Equitable Life of Iowa for parking; and other downtown businesses has tied up the “Triple Espresso” package with a tidy bow.

And now, as preparations are made for the final Des Moines performance of the show on Feb. 15, Chelesvig believes that has worked in Des Moines could continue working for Des Moines. At least a half-dozen major U.S. cities are considering bringing “Triple Espresso” to their theater halls, which could deliver $20,000 to $30,000 in royalties and producer fees to the Civic Center for each city in which the show runs. The Civic Center initially invested $62,000 in the $125,000 show, recouping the investment in the first 10 days of the show’s run.

Chelesvig said he knew the Civic Center had a winner “all along.” By the time the show closes, more than 75,000 tickets will have been sold, resulting in $2.5 million in gross ticket sales. The economic impact of the show in Greater Des Moines is estimated at $5 million when resulting traffic to restaurants and hotels, rent payments for actors’ accommodations and other transactions are considered.

“There’s a little something for everyone,” he said. “It’s family entertainment – you can bring 10-year-old children or 90-year-old adults. It’s fun, lighthearted and not offensive.”

The Civic Center also made it attractive for theatergoers to repeat their “Triple Espresso” experiences with discounts on tickets to subsequent performances. Senior citizen and other discounts have been offered as well.

The show has failed in other markets – notably Portland, Maine, and Detroit – and representatives of performing arts centers from at least six major cities are studying “Espresso’s” Des Moines run, hoping to repeat the formula that brings a long-running show to a smaller space as part of their Broadway series. Des Moines was the first secondary-market city to host the show, and it represents the third-longest run for the show, behind No. 2 Milwaukee and No. 1 Minneapolis, where it has been running since 1996. In addition to Des Moines, the show also is running in San Diego.

“The fact that it has worked so well in this market has attracted the attention of our peers around the country,” said Chelesvig, who rubs shoulders with theater executives through his affiliation with the League of American Theatres and Producers Inc. One of his peers confessed to loathing the show in London and loving it in Des Moines.

“This is really a professional production with tremendous actors who are paid a lot of money to be here,” Chelesvig said. “What they give back to us are exceptional performances, and they’ve really come to love Des Moines.”

“Triple Espresso” was the Civic Center’s first off-site production, and it’s a formula Chelesvig hopes to repeat. The Civic Center’s new season will be announced next month, but Chelesvig didn’t say if it would include a production at the Temple for Performing Arts.