Type – Stand-up Comedy, Celebrity-Focused
If you liked – Self reflective, Contemporary, Stand-up
I, Julia: Fans of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Unite!
Lily Hensby has taken quite a risky decision in her Sydney Fringe show called I, Julia. The whole premise and central pillar of the comedy depends on the audience knowing, recognising and liking the actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus. There seems to be plenty of us fans around as the (admittedly small) venue was full, and everyone looked like they enjoyed themselves.
If you’re unaware of who Louis-Dreyfus is, she plays Elaine in Seinfeld and Selena Meyer (the Veep) in Veep. Both these comedies have devoted and adoring fans (declaration: I am one of these people), so Hensby’s offer to do a perfect impression of her was too good to pass up. Any chance of reliving classic Louis-Dreyfus moments is always welcome.
Hensby’s well-constructed monologue does give us some pretty good Elaine/Selina moments. They have captured the actor’s speech rhythms, tone and timbre pretty well, reciting Selina’s insults and Elaine’s outrage with the perfection only rivalled by listening to Python fans recite the Parrot Sketch. A couple of small blanks needed prompting by the director, but the show went very well overall. Stand-up comedy is notoriously the most terrifying of formats: with nothing between the performer and the audience but their own wit, there is little margin for error.
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? Although they promised a meticulous character study of Julia, it was rather more of a revelation of Hensby’s own persona. This may have been intentional, but at any rate it gave a warm personality to the show and made it more than just an impersonation.
Is SHOW NAME Worth Seeing in CITY?
Should you see this show? If you are a Louis-Dreyfus fan, then yes certainly! If not, you won’t know what the hell is going on and will care less.
Tickets and Practical Info for SHOW NAME in CITY 🎟️
Presented by Hensby & Beckett. Sydney Fringe Festival
Performer/Creator – Lily Hensby
Director – Kate ingram
VENUE: Erskineville Town Hall – The Boom Boom Room
DATES: Wed 24 to Saturday 27 September 2025
Tickets: https://sydneyfringe.com/events/i-julia
