Sydney Reviews

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.

After ten years of doing comedy and theatre thingies, she confides, for Sydney Fringe Festival this year, Lily has fashioned a forty five minute fan piece called I, Julia, a show all about Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Starting off with a fearless rendition of a ferocious monologue from an episode of VEEP, Lily riffs about her admiration and love for Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the biographical details that doggedly refuse to coalesce – Julia Louis-Dreyfus was born in New York, Lily was born in Nowra – and their birth dates don’t align by a long shot.

Awards, national notoriety and international fame are not exactly lock in step, but nevertheless and alwaysthemore, Lily is trying to perfect her impression of Julia Louis-Dreyfus in the hopes that she turns up to the Fringe and bestows a seal of approval of doing a really good job.

While waiting for the real Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lily creates scenes from Seinfeld, empowering audience participation, as well as inviting audiences to dance in the Julia Louis-Dreyfus style.

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.

And then her phone rings. Could her fan fuelled fantasy have come to fruition? 

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, um, sorry, Lily Hensby in I, Julia, a highlight of the Sydney Fringe, is on 27 September, 7.30pm at Erskineville Town Hall.