Iowans addicted to the highly caffeinated comedy “Triple Espresso” will have an extra month to quench their theatrical thirst.

The Civic Center of Greater Des Moines announced it is extending the production to Feb. 16 at the Temple for Performing Arts. The show opened in October and was scheduled to conclude Jan. 5 with an option to be extended.

Civic Center President Jeff Chelesvig said “Triple Espresso,” which is co-produced and presented by the Civic Center, has played to near sell-out houses for the past five weeks. More than 12,000 tickets have been sold and approximately 5,500 people have attended the performance in the 262-seat Temple Theatre.

“Response to the show has been tremendous,” Chelesvig said. “We’re seeing a lot of repeat customers.”

The show’s proven track record helped convince officials they would be able to continue to pay for the show’s weekly operating expenses, which are between $25,000 and $30,000, for rent, labor, housing, royalties and other expenditures. In addition, the Civic Center assumed half of the initial $100,000 investment to bring the show to Des Moines, splitting the financial obligation with the show’s touring producers. Chelesvig said the Civic Center has recouped 60 percent to 70 percent of its $50,000 investment. He estimated the show will pay for itself by the end of the year.

“It was a roll of the dice, but looking at the figures and seeing how well the show was doing, we felt good about extending it,” Chelesvig said.

“We’re delighted by what’s going on in Des Moines,” said Rosalie Miller, the show’s associate producer in Minneapolis. “Sales are good, people love it and the Civic Center has been willing and eager to work with us.”

In addition to the show’s wide comedic appeal, Miller attributes some of its success to the number of repeat customers.

“It’s a unique show because it gets a lot of repeat business and that’s unusual for theater,” she said. “We’re seeing people come back five, six, seven times. They think, ‘I’ve got to tell someone about this,’ so they bring family and friends to the show.”

The attraction of restaurants in the Temple, including Centro and South Union Bread Café, as well neighboring eateries, has helped the show, too, she said.

“The Temple is a great place for us,” Miller said. “Having restaurants in the building is also an advantage because it encourages people to make a night of it. It’s a versatile building that will be a good space for us to use again.”

Chelesvig said he expects ticket sales to be strong during December. Last month’s figures support the theory that Iowans embrace theater during the holidays. In November, the Civic Center hosted nearly 47,000 patrons for 67 performances for three productions, including a record-setting combination of 16 shows for “Cats,” “Batteries Operational” and “Triple Espresso” during the week of Thanksgiving.

“Triple Espresso” is the first show the Civic Center has presented off-site. Chelesvig said the show’s success is encourages him to plan similar productions in the future.

“It shows Des Moines can support a production like this,” he said. “We’re already starting to think about the next show.”