Princess Pictures’ Australian Epic, which sees six of Australia’s most defining stories retold as musicals, will premiere on Wednesday, 8 November at 9pm on the ABC.
Written by The Chaser’s Chris Taylor and Andrew Hansen, the series will feature 36 original songs performed by an ensemble cast of triple-threats, including Phoenix Jackson Mendoza, Michelle Brasier, Fiona Choi, Sami Afuni, Nicholas Kong and Amy Lehpamer.
Australian Epic swings between interviews with the real-life players and musical numbers that give Taylor and Hansen full rein to put their trademark satirical spin on the material. The stories include the unlikely triumph of ice-skater Steven Bradbury, the fairy-tale of the young Tasmanian woman Mary Donaldson, the international meltdown caused by Johnny Depp’s pet dogs, Pistol and Boo, the comedy of errors that befell Melbourne’s cursed Ferris wheel, the saga of Schapelle Corby and the political showdown of the Tampa affair.
Princess Pictures’ Laura Waters and Emma Fitzsimons are the executive producers, alongside Taylor and Hanson. Julie Eckersley is the producer and the director is Max Miller.
ABC executive producers are Rachel Millar and Nicholas Hayden.