Lives of the Dead

“How shall a man spend his death?” Hanoch Levin posed this provocative question in his epic poem, “Lives of the Dead,” translated from the Hebrew by Atar Hadari and first published in English by Poetry magazine in May 2009.

Today, Poetry managing editor Valerie Jean Johnson grapples with Levin’s question, using the stage as her vehicle for exploration. She conceived of and directed an innovative theatrical interpretation of “Lives of the Dead” that runs through Sunday at Chicago’s Viaduct theatre.

Four actors clad in white long johns and diapers give voice to a dead man. The ensemble transforms the singular voice of the poem into a complex conversation, parsing out meaning through unconventional phrasing and intonation. Cacophonous sounds and jarring movements underscore the unsettling text. “Lives of the Dead” is not a play to seek enjoyment from, but rather to be deeply affected by.

The four-chapter poem chronicles the dead man’s journey deep into darkness, decay, and perpetual disquiet. Macabre as it may sound, the text is full of surprising moments of irony and absurdity. Still, the production will likely elicit more questions than it answers, and the rawness of Levin’s language about decomposition and the afterlife is only emphasized by the visceral nature of the stage. Yet for those who prefer probing poetry that refuses to compromise or placate, there is a defiant beauty to be found in the untidy ending and permanent uncertainty of the “Lives of the Dead.”