I, Julia

Could someone do an impression of actor Julia Louis-Dreyfus so well, that it summons her to the Fringe? Comedian Lily Hensby is going to have a crack at it.

Julia lives in California, which is in America. The Sydney Fringe Festival is held in Sydney, which is in Australia. It is a 14 hour flight from California to Sydney. But if Lily does this right, if she does the best impression of Julia Louis-Dreyfus anyone has ever seen, magic could happen. Julia might just come all the way to the Fringe and give Lily the flowers she has worked for.

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REVIEWS

“Hensby herself has a wonderfully engaging stage presence and terrific comic delivery. Constructed around a premise of the persona having to wait, the script throws out formidable challenges in terms of pace, with the performer having to navigate the variations between the moments of tight, high-energy when she plays Louis-Dreyfus’ characters and something slower and looser when she plays her own created persona.”

— Theatre Red

“It was when Hensby goes in to her personal journey as an emerging performer that I was really drawn in. She tells us how she has always felt at home on the stage. From childhood, she has enjoyed performing and entertaining. She tells us, this is where she belongs. With her warm, engaging, winning stage presence, I agree with her.”

— Sydney arts guide

“Her audience was with her all the way as she called some of them up on stage to read a short script with her, or asked individuals from the audience to perform a dance step. You don’t have to be a Seinfeld fan to appreciate and support Lily’s aspirations and to laugh along with her as she tickles your funny bone for the duration of the show.”

— city hub

“She says she loves being up there and Lily Hensby’s enthusiasm on the stage, a genuine warmth and obvious passion, is Blind Freddy obvious...As the time ticks by and no show from Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lily, forlorn fan, asks the audience what they think is funny. I started thinking about my socks and the Dewey Decimal System and the rolling energetic and enthusiastic JLD shtick of Lily Hensby, infectiously and affectionately funny.”

— australian stage

“Hensby’s performance played out rather like a surreal TED talk. Their dream was that the impersonation would be so good that it would conjure the real actor’s presence. The moments when they would plead for her, pause and stare at the door was actually weirdly suspenseful. Could she really possibly appear?”

— theatre thoughts

Meet the Team