An Off-Broadway Rarity: \'Tribes\' Recoups Its Investment

Sara Krulwich/The New York Times Nina Raine, playwright of “Tribes.”

Even on Broadway, the vast majority of shows end up losing money. So the news that the Off-Broadway play “Tribes,” by Nina Raine, has recouped its investment makes it the little engine that could.

The play's producers Scott Morfee, Jean Doumanian and Tom Wirtshafter announced on Friday that it had grossed over $2.5 million since opening at the Barrow Street Theater in February, earning back its costs.

“Tribes,” which follows the dynamics of an idiosyncratic British family and their deaf son, will play its final performance on January 6.

Barrow Street has had steady success as a home to l ong-running Off-Broadway plays that aren't circus-based or spectacle-oriented. David Cromer's production of “Our Town” played 644 performances and grossed over $4 million there.