I LOVE A PIANO!, national tour, Capitol Theatre, through Sunday (355-2787 or www.arttix.org), running time: two hours (one intermission).

There aren't nearly enough synonyms for "wow!" to describe the talent and energy in this tune-packed tribute to the legendary Irving Berlin.

Conceived by Ray Roderick (who also directed and choreographed) and Michael Berkely (who handled the show's musical arrangements), "I Love a Piano" is guaranteed to send you out of the theater humming or maybe even singing and dancing. With nearly 60 songs — many of them certified classics — you have plenty to choose from.

Even more amazing is that a small ensemble of six singers and dancers manages to fill the Capitol Theatre stage with everything from vaudeville to torch songs.

There's a seventh "star" as well — a slightly battered and bruised spinet piano, which is central to the wafer-thin story line.

The piano's journey through Berlin's most productive decades establishes the various time frames for the perfectly strung-together musical gems.

Bookended by "I Love a Piano," the production showcases such favorites as "(Won't You) Play a Simple Melody," "A Pretty Girl Is Like a Melody," "Alexander's Ragtime Band," "Blue Skies," "Puttin' on the Ritz," "Always," "White Christmas," "God Bless America," "Easter Parade" and a cadre of World War II and post-war chestnuts, winding up a summer-stock audition for "Annie Get Your Gun."

It's difficult to single out particular highlights in a show that has virtually no "lowlights."

Sean Schwebke and Darcie Bender play Jim and Eileen, featured in some of the show's best comedy routines, such as Schwebke complaining about "Oh, How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning" and both of them doing slapstick in "We're a Couple of Swells."

Belter Karla Shook (playing Sadie), hit the rafters with "God Bless America," then switched to poignant ballads in "Suppertime" and "Russian Lullaby."

Johnnie Moore (Alex) demonstrated how to economize during the Depression in "Two Cheers Instead of Three," and "What Do You Do With a General?" and joined Shook for "You're Just in Love."

Mark Baratelli (George) and Summer Broyhill (Ginger) were nicely paired in "An Old Fashioned Wedding" and "Isn't It a Lovely Day?"

The ensemble was backed up by an onstage combo comprised of conductor-pianist Alex LeFevre, percussionist Jared Young and bass-tuba player Chris Conte.

All together, the troupe — which seemed to be having way too much fun on stage — proved that there really is "No Business Like Show Business."

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E-mail: ivan@desnews.com