Let Me Entertain You (from Gypsy): SATB Choral Octavo

Larry Shackley's arrangement captures the theatrical heart of this showstopper by honoring the multiple styles embedded in the original number. Your singers get to explore vaudeville, swing, and waltz within a single piece, making this an engaging study in musical versatility and stylistic control without requiring separate arrangements.

From the moment the first beat lands, you're transported to a vaudeville stage. The arrangement swings you through different theatrical worlds, each one landing with clarity and charm, before the final section kicks loose with uninhibited joy and theatrical abandon.

Choirs performing Broadway or musical theater concerts who want one number to showcase their versatility and stage presence. This works for high school and community choirs comfortable with syncopation and stylistic shifts, and for any director seeking a piece that entertains singers and audiences alike.

• Establish crisp articulation in the opening 2-beat section to nail the vaudeville energy; this sets the tone for everything that follows.
• Let the swing section breathe with a relaxed, behind-the-beat feel from your rhythm section and soloists; the gentleness here creates contrast with the bookending material.
• Shape the waltz with clear lift and buoyancy in the melody; this transition should feel like a genuine change of scene, not a stumble.
• Build momentum into the kick line finale with tight unison or semi-unison passages and driving accompaniment that propels toward the finish.

This belongs in a Broadway-themed concert or a lighter second half that celebrates musical theater storytelling. Its variety makes it an excellent closer or a high-energy pivot point in a mixed program; audiences respond immediately to its theatrical confidence and stylistic surprises.

• Switching between contrasting styles (vaudeville, swing, waltz, jazz-inflected kick line) within a single piece
• Rhythmic independence and precision in a 2-beat opening
• Swing articulation and phrasing
• Stage presence and theatrical commitment
• Ensemble lock in syncopated and rhythmically complex passages