Documentary performance by Mohamed El Khatib in which eight elderly men and women speak openly about love and sexuality in later life.
Mohamed El Khatib brings La vie secrète des vieux—The Secret Life of Old People—to Mershon Auditorium on Tuesday, February 9, 2027, from 7 to 8:15 PM. It's the US premiere of the piece, presented by the Wexner Center for the Arts.
El Khatib is a playwright, and this is a documentary performance. He gathered testimonies from elderly people across all social backgrounds to look at how love and desire are lived out in later life. On the dance floor of a ballroom, eight elderly men and women speak openly about love and sexuality, recounting their own stories and experiences and asking whether the end of life marks the end of love. The piece frames aging as confronting society's gaze and watching one's own worn-out body erode autonomy day by day. It's performed in French with English subtitles and runs about 70 minutes without intermission. The Guardian called it "joyful, tender, sad, riotous and eye-watering in its kaleidoscopic portrait of pleasure."
El Khatib works across performance, literature, and cinema as an author, stage director, filmmaker, and visual artist. In France's Savoie region, he worked with Valérie Mréjen to create the first art center located inside a nursing home.
Every week we pick 🏆 the 5 best 🏆 things to do in Columbus and send them to your inbox. Just one weekly email, no spam.
By submitting your email, you accept our Privacy Policy
Tickets are $35 for members, $45 for the general public, $42 for adults 55 and over, and $12 for students. The show runs from 7 to 8:15 PM at Mershon Auditorium, 1871 N. High Street.
