‘Simpsons' voice actor Hank Azaria bringing Springsteen show to Elgin's Hemmens Center
'Hank Azaria and the EZ Street Band — A Springsteen Celebration' will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 28, at The Hemmens Cultural Center. Tickets go on sale online this week.
'We're really excited about Hank coming to Elgin,' said Tony Lentino, cultural arts and special events programming manager for the Hemmens. 'The show should appeal to a large breadth of people who know him from his large body of work and to Springsteen fans. He has Springsteen's voice and mannerisms down pat.'
In addition to his work on 'The Simpsons,' Azaria has appeared in numerous movies and television shows.
Those include starring in the TV comedy 'Brockmire' and guest starring on 'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,' 'Ray Donovan,' 'Friends' and 'Mad About You.' Movie credits include roles or voicework in 'The Birdcage,' 'Godzilla,' 'The Smurfs,' 'Night at the Museum: Battle for the Smithsonian' and 'Along Came Polly.'
A big Springsteen fan, Azaria first put together a band to cover some Springsteen songs with him at his 60th birthday party. He became 'obsessed with singing as exactly like Bruce as he could. He practiced every day for about six months,' according to a news release about the act.
'I've never worked harder preparing for any role than I did in perfecting a singing vocal impression of Bruce,' Azaria said in the release. 'I think of it as a theatrical performance. I'm staying in character as Bruce even though I'm telling stories about myself. It's a performance piece, but I'm not a Bruce impersonator.'
The band's first public performance was a sold out show on Aug. 1, 2024, at Le Poisson Rouge, a 700-seat venue in Lower Manhattan. The performance features Azaria channeling many familiar components of a Springsteen concert.
However, while Springsteen is known for putting on marathon shows that can last three or four hours, Lentino said he was fairly sure Azaria's concert will be shorter. Lentino said as of Tuesday, the Elgin show was the only one booked in the Chicago area.
Lentino said he and his staff had been eyeing Azaria's act for a while and initially though it might be better suited for one of the city's outdoor festivals. After watching online videos of his performances, however, led them to believe the show would be better suited to the 1,200-seat indoor venue, he said.
Net proceeds from the show will benefit The Four Through Nine Foundation, which was founded by Azaria and is committed to social justice, education and recovery causes.
'I can't think of a better way to spend my time and use my passion for voices than playing these songs for a crowd that loves them and to lovingly pay tribute to Bruce, while raising money for folks who need it,' Azaria said in the release.
For tickets and more information, go to elginil.gov/2538/Hemmens-Cultural-Center.
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