The Ramblers, whose previous theatrical stints include the off-Broadway hits "Diamond Studs" and "A Lie of the Mind," met Bill Irwin  and David Shiner while filming "Silent Tongue." In that creation of the Ramblers' most famous fan, writer-actor Sam Shepard, the whimsical artists play a clown act. The Ramblers, as they do in "Fool Moon," provide the music for Shepard's tale of a late 19th-century medicine show. 

  "David had been offered a gig -- a solo shot -- at Lincoln Center that summer," Thompson said. "And he --> -- asked Bill if he wanted to join him. Bill said, 'Sure.' Then at some point they -- or David -- proposed that we join them. We were thrilled." 

  "But," Thompson continued, "David pushed and shoved and cajoled the producers to bring not only Bill Irwin along but a five-man string band. I can tell you that the producers weren't excited. They didn't pay us very much, but they did pay us and put us up in a nice hotel. Two nights!" 

  To say the appearance was a smash is to understate the response of the critics and the crowds that filled the center's Alice Tully Hall. What they saw was the show that evolved into "Fool Moon." 

  "It was amazing," Thompson said. "People just laughed -- like they do now -- from beginning to end. When they weren't laughing, they were gasping for breath. It was then that our current producers saw the show and made the decision to bring it to Broadway." 

From the Raleigh News & Observer, "Bright lights and a 'Fool Moon'" by Bill Morrison, April 11, 1993