Embrace Love Free

A brilliantly written, performed and directed parable...recounting Justin Sandler's epic battle (and ultimately love and acceptance) of a horrific cancerous mass! This one-man show is surprising, entertaining, funny... and ultimately inspiring! A completely contemporary treatment weaves real-life video, slam poetry, percussion instruments and a one-of-a-kind performance by Justin, an absolutely stellar actor and musician. Memorable!

Justin’s solo show was full of characters, real and imagined. Played close to perfection, especially the personified roles. But the real accolade must go to the authenticity of the experience Justin led us through. I felt his struggle and watched his ability to take a scary diagnosis and deal with it with equanimity and love. It was somehow a comfort. Also, loved the drums!

How very cleaver of Justin to create and play characters representing various aspects of his maladies. He got us to laugh at , ah what? Cancer? really? what a gift! Talk about lemons to lemonade. Remarkable.

The miracle of this show is how Justin takes a gawdawful, horrible, no good, very bad, harrowing experience and turns it into a journey of love and laughter, thru the agonizing pain of a cancer diagnosis. The twists and turns from bright to dark would have brought a lesser person to their knees and I truly do not know how Justin and his wife, Mary Lou, survived the experience with their hearts and souls and minds intact. But they did it. And they triumphed. See this show!

How courageous to tell his story with pathos, humor and moxie. I was moved by the pathos, moxie, drumming, and the love between his wife and himself. Kudos a must see!

The show is a multi sensory experience that takes you on an emotional ride of joy and agony, tears and laughter and back again.....the editing of his months of Facebook Live videos punctuate the show with levity while his time on stage drifting in and out of the beloved characters he created make us smile and laugh at ourselves and the inevitable human condition....everything the human experience has to offer pours forth from his immense and generous spirit throughout this very personal
and intimate show. First, he blows you away with this epic drum riff as he tells you about the unique trajectory of his life, as an artist and as a man. The riff builds and builds as his story flashes before our eyes in pictures and through our ears with narration....then it comes...the Cancer...seemingly out of nowhere ( but it was there all along) and does what life often does to us all.... yanks the ground right out from under you... or does it? Second, he takes you on the ride of your life with a myriad of characters both real and personified. I don’t want to describe them... not one... so you can experience them anew the way I got too... but I will say this... such creativity you will see...the characters will challenge you to see things from a new perspective... Like a beautiful dance of all the parts of this journey through his Cancer diagnosis and treatment. And Third, he will show you wisdom... the utter vulnerability will inspire all who see this one man play. Whether we have experienced cancer ourselves or watched those we love battle it or even if it hasn’t touched your life at all there are universal truths spoken here, things we can all relate to and learn from through Justin’s journey. His grace in the face of such grave circumstances is a testament to the way he has chosen to live... a life of Gratitude 🙏🏻 and Love.

Justin Sandler's one-man show "Embrace-Love-Free" is a rollercoaster ride down the rabbit hole of cancer and a shining testament to the human will to live with grace, joy and happiness steeped in the reality that mortality is inevitable. It eloquently exposes the horrors of cancer, the battle to beat it and the importance of embracing that which we do not control. It is raw and pulls no punches but it is personal, intimate and bold. It sugar coats nothing and leaves you laughing from you belly to balling like a baby. The use of various characters to tell this important and timely story add dimension to the range of emotions that take over from the instant he takes the stage. For those in the trenches, go see this play, and for those on the sidelines, or perhaps too afraid to face the big C, you owe it to yourself to take this journey that will forever change the way you look at someone who is fighting this horrible disease. Sandler brilliantly and seamlessly tells the story of life before, during, and most importantly, after cancer, with humor, honestly and most of all, love. A MUST SEE!

Justin Sandler does an amazing performance as he brings you on a journey of overcoming Cancer. He is an amazing Drummer & performer. It's an intense experience that must be seen by everyone.

Go. Just go. The vitality of Justin Sandler's storytelling turns what could be a horror show into a heart-rending, belly-laughing, eye-popping experience. You come away not only floored by the spirit of this man to get through what sounds like an Orwellian torture-fest of medical miracle-making, but also by the depth of love of his wife which carries him through, as well ast that of the devoted team of medical people (bless you all!). In turns hilarious and despairing and always engaging, this journey into what it means to "open your heart" to love in the face of your worst nightmare will stay with you always. Kudos Justin for your courage.

Justin pulls you into every detail of his raw, painful experience of overcoming a rare cancer that he survives beautifully and powerfully. His drumming is amazing and his acting of all the characters created to express his journey is very creative. Everyone needs to experience Justin's show to have compassion for people overcoming Cancer or to feel that you are not alone.