By Shelley Koppel

Entertainment writer

FORT PIERCE - When songwriter Irving Berlin died in 1989 at 101, Haley Swindal was 3. She grew up loving the old standards, not knowing how many of the wonderful songs she loved were written by Mr. Berlin.

Today, Ms. Swindal is a member of the troupe performing in "I Love a Piano," a revue that spans the seven-decade career of one of the greatest songwriters in American history. She spoke by phone from New York about the show, in which the piano has been called "the seventh performer."

"The piano is incredibly crucial," she said. "It's the story of three couples who transcend time, built around the piano. It's all Irving Berlin music and the lives it touched, through songs, music and dance."

Ms. Swindal said the cast considers the show a "revue-cical," with 64 Berlin songs, but the three couples remain together as the years pass.

"Irving Berlin defined American music," she said. "Jerome Kern said that Irving Berlin is American music. The piano holds the decades together, starting with 'Alexander's Ragtime Band' and Prohibition. The piano hides the liquor."

"The show is scene, not just six people singing around a piano. There's a hysterical summer stock sequence, where the three women, all competing for the role of Annie Oakley in 'Annie Get Your Gun,' sing 'Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better.'

Ms. Swindal is amazed at the scope of the composer's work.

"Irving Berlin wrote so many songs people don't realize he wrote," she said. "Of course, there's a segment with 'Easter Parade,' and 'White Christmas' and 'I Love a Piano,' but I didn't know he wrote 'Cheek to Cheek' and 'Blue Skies.' It's fascinating how much he defined our music."

Ms. Swindal loves the timeless quality of the songs.

"I think it speaks to anyone," she said. "I'm 23 and I adore it. Everyone can relate to Irving Berlin's music. It's nostalgia for some, but it speaks to us on a powerful level. It's perfect for families."

Ms. Swindal, a graduate of the musical theater program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will be with the tour until it ends in mid-December. She came to this show right after a performance in "Jesus Christ Superstar."

"I'm very lucky to have gotten back-to-back jobs right out of school," she said. "I love the standards. It's where my heart lies. Give me 'Blue Skies' any day. I'm very luck and blessed."

"I Love a Piano," the works of Irving Berlin, comes to the Sunrise Theatre, 117 S. second St., Fort Pierce, on Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $40 and $35. Call the box office at (772) 461-4775 or order online at www.sunrisetheatre.com.