Undesirable Secrets

Why do we keep secrets. The question hangs over this performance long before it is ever spoken. As Rodolfo Alvarado tells the story of Anthony Acevedo, sixty three years of enforced silence settles into the room like a ghost that refuses to leave.

Alvarado brings extraordinary focus to Acevedo’s life. A World War Two combat medic and Holocaust survivor, Acevedo was one of three hundred fifty American soldiers secretly sent to Berga, a Nazi slave labor camp. The facts alone are staggering, but it is the emotional weight that defines the evening. What unfolds is not just a story about secrecy, but about the damage done when silence is ordered and survival requires suppression.

Alvarado’s performance is magnetic and grounded. He never reaches for sentiment. Instead, he allows the horror to surface through restraint. The descriptions of torture are devastating, but it is the quieter moments that cut deepest. On Easter Sunday, the imprisoned soldiers pray. Their prayers are unanswered. When Acevedo asks himself, “Is God laughing at my expense,” the question lands with unbearable force.

The show understands that trauma does not end when violence stops. The lingering PTSD of military life and captivity is treated with seriousness and respect. This is a story about resilience and a fierce love of life, but it does not romanticize endurance. It shows the cost of being told to bury your demons in exchange for freedom.

The final reckoning comes in the form of forgiveness, not as a tidy resolution but as an impossible demand. What Alvarado offers is pain transformed into something almost poetic. This is not a life merely endured. It is a life lived, scarred, silenced, and finally spoken.

A powerful and necessary piece of theatre.

Undesirable Secrets

Starring Rodolfo Alvarado

Performed on November 1

at The 19th Annual United Solo Theatre Festival

October 14 through November 23, 2025

Theatre Row (410 West 42nd Street, NYC)

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Juliet Morrison brings a wealth of global experiences to her work across film & theatre. A British actor, producer and writer, who calls New York home, her experiences extend from London, LA, and NYC. Having starred in many plays, whilst writing, producing and starring in her own play, which saw her win "Best Script of 2024" at United Solo, Theatre Row. What to look out for : Executive producer in an upcoming network holiday rom-com and can be seen acting in several films across 2026. www.julietmorrison.com