Raygun musical cancelled after breakdancer's lawyer threatened legal action

Breakdancer Rachael Gunn’s legal team has shut down a musical inspired by her, ahead of its Sydney premiere on Dec. 7

In a weekend Instagram post, Sydney comedian Steph Broadbridge announced that the show's premiere that evening would be cancelled.

Broadbridge explained that Gunn’s legal team was concerned the musical could damage her reputation.

"Raygun: The Musical", which was first announced five weeks ago, supposedly featured dance moves inspired by the 37-year-old's Paris Olympic performance.

The musical was promoted as a “parody exploration” of the breakdancer’s journey to the Olympics.

Musical numbers included, "You May Be a B-girl But You’ll Always Be an A-girl To Me", "I’m Breaking Down", and "I Would Have Won But I Pulled a Muscle".

Since the cancellation, Broadbridge assured that a A$10 (S$8.62) refund would be issued to everyone who had purchased tickets.

The show had pledged to donate all proceeds to the Women’s and Girls’ Emergency Centre but would no longer be able to make its planned donation, as the tickets had to be refunded.

Broadbridge also promised theatre goers that the show would go ahead at a later date.

The caption on her post read, “We will be back soon and with a whole new story arc to add.”

Musical supposedly could damage Raygun's reputation

In the video, Broadbridge delivered the news that "Raygun's lawyers got in touch with the venue and threatened legal action".

Broadbridge said "they were worried [Broadbridge] was damaging breakdancer's brand", which Broadbridge claimed, "She would never do."

"She doesn't need me to do that," she quipped.

Broadbridge also shared that the dancer's lawyers argued that the comedian was not allowed to perform the dance moves because Gunn "owns the kangaroo dance".

She joked: "That one did puzzle me. I mean, that is an Olympic-level dance. How would I possibly do that without any formal breakdancing training?"

Broadbridge added that Rachael Gunn's lawyers were very concerned that people would think she was affiliated with the musical.

"I want to assure everyone that she will not be part of the show. She’s very welcome to come; I would love for her to see it," the comedian said.

Broadbridge concluded by stating that she would perform the show at a later date and will change the spelling of "Raygun" to include the letter "i" in an attempt to address the legal concerns.

Musical promoter puzzled by show's cancellation.

In an interview with Australian broadcaster, ABC, Anthony Skinner, who leads the show's promoter ID Comedy Club, revealed that Gunn's lawyers threatened to take legal action the day after the show's debut if the production was not cancelled.

Skinner offered to remove "infringing elements", such as the name Raygun and a silhouette pose of the breakdancer but the proposed adjustments failed to satisfy Gunn's legal team.

"It was just too much stress on the performers," Skinner said.

The promoter emphasised that he did not understand why Gunn would want the show to be cancelled.

Raygun retired in November following widespread criticism

Gunn, a university lecturer with a PhD in gender and cultural studies related to breakdancing, went viral in August at the Paris Olympics for her unconventional moves.

Her routine failed to score any points from the judges, leading to her elimination in the round-robin stage.

Her performance, along with her green tracksuit, was ridiculed online and mocked on late-night talk shows.

As a result, in early November, Gunn announced her retirement from the sport, citing the intense scrutiny she faced.

She explained that continuing to compete "seems a really difficult thing for me to do" in light of the backlash following her Olympic performance.

Agency wants to ensure Gunn's image remains strong and respected

In a statement to ABC, Gunn's management agency, Born Bred Talent, said it wanted to ensure the breakdancer's image remained "strong and respected".

"While we have immense respect for the credible work and effort that has gone into the development of the show, we must take necessary steps to safeguard Rachael's creative rights and the integrity of her work," the agency told ABC.

"The use of the ‘Raygun’ name by a comedian without approval has caused confusion among the public, potentially leading them to believe that ‘Raygun The Musical’ had Rachael’s endorsement or approval," the agency continued.

"This misuse of intellectual property is not only misleading but also jeopardises Rachael’s other commercial ventures, which rely on the integrity of her brand."

"This action is not intended to diminish the contributions of others, but rather to ensure her brand is properly represented and protected in all future endeavours."

Top images from stephbroadbridge/Instagram and Entertainment - Mediacorp/YouTube