ABOUT THE SHOW
SUPER CITY is a six-part comedy series starring Madeleine Sami (Jaquie
Brown Diaries & Sione’s Wedding) and directed by Taika Waititi (Boy &
Eagle vs. Shark).
Sami hilariously transforms into five acutely observed and very different
characters all living in our country’s super city. There’s Pasha, an aging
cheerleader clinging to her partying lifestyle; Azeem, an immigrant taxi
driver embracing Maori culture; Jo, a closeted gym instructor in love with
her best friend; Linda, the runt of her “old girls” clique fostering
impoverished artists and Georgie, a homeless girl whose freedom is
unexpectedly interrupted.
Super City is an edgy yet heartfelt satire. Sami’s delusional characters
shock through the ludicrously awkward scenarios they find themselves in.
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
Writers Madeleine Sami & Thomas Sainsbury researched potential
microcosms within Auckland over six months. They spent a lot of time
at the city mission, in gyms, in taxi depots, with cheerleaders and
around art galleries. Through this process they created the five
characters and storylines in Super City. This research also provided
Madeleine with mannerisms to work into her performances.
The research period also exposed the development team to several
potential performers. It was decided early in the process that ‘real
people’ would perform opposite Madeleine to provide a “straight”
reality to play the comedy against. Super City stars ‘Wilf’ who really
works at the City Mission, ‘Lipton’ who is a real rough sleeper,
‘Paddy’ who is a real gym instructor, the cheerleaders are also real
cheerleaders and Azeem’s taxi mates both drive taxis in real life.