The Devil and Billy Markham

Aaron Lyons knows EXACTLY how the poetry of Shel Silverstein needs to be heard: with a vocally skilled actor (Lyons himself), 3 musicians and one dancer. It would have been enjoyable to listen to Aaron recite the very entertaining and provocative poem. However, he takes the experience to new heights by turning it into a theatrical presentation. If there had been too many people involved, the language may have been lost, but Aaron knew just the right amount of music and movement to make this piece crackle and pop. It's a fabulous show!!!... full review

Loved it Great performance by Aaron Lyons and Ruth Fox. Great music and staging. Well worth the ticket. Perfect fringe fare.... full review

Loved it Great performance by Aaron Lyons and Ruth Fox. Great music and staging. Well worth the ticket. Perfect fringe fare.... full review

This show was very engaging and enjoyable! It's basically a man reciting a Shel Silverstein poem in such a great and unique way of combining music and acting to really draw in the audience into this twisted story. The setting at 3 Clubs was a perfect venue for this intimate poem of a man gambling with the devil.... full review

I was wowed by Aaron's rendition of this funny and filthy epic poem. His character work is excellent and his sense of play is a joy to watch. Backed by a rocking band and a hard-working dancer, this piece is a perfect fit for the seedy 3 Clubs. Must see. fringeblog.webs.com... full review

Exactly what I was hoping for. Drinks, a band, the talented Aaron Lyons hopping between entertaining characters. Shel Silverstein. I had no idea he wrote this for Playboy. We always forget how subversive that man really was. I'm rambling. Go to the show. It's sexy and cool. ... full review

Shel Silverstein has always been a favorite author of mine, and you rarely see anyone take on his plays. I have never understood why that is because they are so funny, and at times, mind blowing brilliant. The way Billy Markham ends is one of those moments. It is the perfect ending that makes the most sense, but yet, it's so silly and unthinkable that you never see it coming. The band was excellent, but this is show is about two men, Shel Silverstein and Aaron Lyons, who commands the stage, a fearless performance, with an exceptional handling of the verse. I honestly thought at times the music could be a little quieter. A piece like this is so much about the text, it felt like that needs to be priority number one. That is a very picky cr... full review

A backwoods beat poetry noir performed among the clink of cocktails and the blanket of throbbing red lights and leering shadows. A sort of ritual with no purpose but dig and dig and dig, and as the search opens to rhyme and the rhyme falls into rhythm, the strange man in the fedora and a bottle in his hand leads us to wonder and marvel at both the maddening syncopation of his craft and the false duality of heaven and hell. It's common knowelege that Aaron Lyons already was a devil, a growling, horn-headed trickster drunk on Theatre Row and cackling at the meek light of stars, but in The Devil and Billy Markham he proves that he is a devil with a heart an closes us in that blanket of light and shadow. Congratulations on this labour of dark... full review