Larry Gatlin will appear as Frank Butler in "Annie Get Your Gun," which runs Friday, Feb. 22-March 2, at the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium's Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts.

Annie Oakley is the best shot around and agrees to join Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in just enough time to fall head over heels for the production's headliner, Frank Butler.

Business and romance pull the trigger for a duel in Irving Berlin's classic songs "Anything You Can Do" and "There's No Business Like Show Business."

Gatlin is thrilled to be starring in the show and paid a recent visit to Pinehurst, which was at one time home to Annie Oakley and Frank Butler.

"I loved the old show with Bernadette Peters and Tom Wopat, and it's Irving Berlin, for God's sake," he says, bursting into song during a recent interview.

Gatlin says he'd actually been contacted to star in the show years ago, but performing with his brothers at their namesake theater in Myrtle Beach kept him from being able to take on that project. Now he has the chance, and he relishes playing the role of Frank Butler.

"I went into the fight like a lion and came out like a lamb," Gatlin says. "We don't have a chance against you women. You'll win every time. You've got us right where you want us."

He sees a lot of Frank Butler in most men.

"It's good to be a man's man," says Gatlin. "My father was, and I try to be one for my son. A lot of men feel degraded by 'losing' to a woman, but Frank finally comes around. I guess I'm in touch with my softer side."

Broadway star Lauren Kennedy will play Annie.

"I haven't met her yet, but she comes highly recommended from folks in New York," says Gatlin, who is set to begin rehearsing with her.

The show runs Friday, Feb. 22 through Sunday, March 2. For more information, visit www.nctheatre.com.

Larry on Life

Over the course of a four-decade career that has taken Grammy Award-winning Gatlin from Texas stages to White House performances, from Broadway to the top of the country charts, there has been one unifying element with him: music.

After years of discordant notes that often marked very public personal and professional ups and downs, both individually and as a part of the famed Gatlin Brothers Band, Gatlin is now a satisfied man. He's satisfied with his impressive career accomplishments as a singer, songwriter, author and actor. Along the way, too, there has to be a sense of satisfaction he has also survived to come back as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother and Christian.

Gatlin released his maiden album, "The Pilgrim," in 1974, and hit No. 1 on the charts the next year with "Broken Lady," a song that earned him a Grammy in 1976. In mid-decade, the brothers re-grouped musically and took their little sister, LaDonna, into the studio with them. The hits started flowing like Texas crude.

In 1977, the Gatlins went No. 1 again with "I Just Wish You Were Someone I Love." They repeated in 1979 with "All the Gold in California." The latter became Single of the Year, as designated by the prestigious West Coast Academy of Country Music.

Gatlin Brothers' signature songs became legendary and numerous: "Statues Without Hearts," "I Don't Wanna Cry," "Love is Just a Game," "Houston Means I'm One Day Closer to You," "Talkin' To The Moon," and on and on.

The Gatlin Brothers lit up major marquees and packed houses throughout the '70s and '80s. Unfortunately, their success story had its darker side. Personal struggles with drugs and alcohol slowed the hits -- so much so, that in 1992 they made a decision to stop touring. Their tour that year was called "The Adios Tour." All three brothers set about reforming and reconstructing their lives.

Gatlin also used that time to explore other opportunities.

He remembers playing golf with Frank Gifford, and "he asked me to have dinner with Kathie Lee," he says. "I said, 'I'd love to, but I'm taking my wife to see the 'Will Rogers Follies.' Frank said, 'Man, you'd be great in that role. Keith Carradine's leaving!'

"So at this point, Frank pulls his cell phone out, dials a number, and says four words: 'Get Gatlin an audition.'"

He took to the stage in 1993, in the same fashion he'd taken the musical stage years earlier. He starred in the seven-month run in the title role of the Tony-awarded musical, winning critical acclaim and a legion of new fans. Later he stayed on to star in the national tour of "Follies."

"I had a ball," says Gatlin.

At one point, he even had an opportunity to meet Bob Hope, who had a dinner party after one of the shows. Hope said to him, "Remember, you're not just playing Broadway, you're playing The Palace."

"That was a pretty special time, it was the thrill of a lifetime," says Gatlin.

Playing Broadway did have its differences.

"I love my brothers and love performing with them," says Gatlin, "but the thing with my brothers is very comfortable. This is out of my comfort level a little. This is Broadway; you can't just start over. It's a different discipline."

In 1994, Gatlin and his brothers opened a 2,000-seat theater in Myrtle Beach, S.C., which had a successful run. It ended about seven or eight years ago. However, that doesn't mean Gatlin or his brothers have been idle.

The Gatlin Brothers are set to release a new CD through famed Curb Records. Gatlin himself does about 12 weeks in Branson, Mo., and about 70 road dates annually.

"We're very blessed," he says. "We've had a good life, and we're back. We made a big deal out of our retirement, but we didn't make as big a deal about coming out of retirement. We've been back at it for about seven years."

Gatlin is also writing some musicals of his own, most recently, "Look Homeward Honkey Tonk Angel," and another about Quanah Parker, the last Commanche chief.

"There's also talk of a television show, maybe a series of 26 30-minute episodes featuring segments of legendary performers with up-and-coming performers," he says. "The Gatlin Brothers will also be singing at the opening of the American Embassy in Beijing, China, on opening day of the Olympics. We're remarketing ourselves, and we have plenty of work."

Today, Gatlin and his wife, Janis, call Austin, Texas, home. There, he can reflect on his career with the wisdom of experience.

"I left Nashville in 1992 in a bit of a huff, but I've realized that that's just how life goes," he says. "I tell young artists that their fame doesn't last forever."

Gatlin, however, has been blessed with more than most.

Contact Mary Griffin at mgriffin@thepilot.com.?