QUICK TAKES - Jan. 30, 2009

Broadway’s two dozen dark theaters won’t stay empty for long.

Defying the economic slump, producers are scheduled to present 19 Broadway shows in the next three months. If they all arrive ahead of the June 7 Tony awards, the 2008-09 season will go down as the busiest in two decades, with 40 new productions.

That would be the most openings since 1986-87, when there were 43.

“It’s an embarrassment of riches, which is amazing in this economy,” said Robyn Goodman, a producer of “West Side Story,” which opens March 19.

“Producers, God bless them, they are so optimistic,” Goodman said.