BRISBANE, Australia — Rachael “Raygun” Gunn, an Australian breaker, has maintained a positive attitude towards the global jokes and criticism following her controversial Paris Olympics performance.
However, “Raygun: the Musical” proved to be unacceptable.
Comedian Stephanie Broadbridge canceled the show hours before its Sydney premiere after Gunn’s legal team contacted the comedy club venue, threatening legal action.
Broadbridge informed her social media followers that Gunn’s lawyers had trademarked the musical’s poster and claimed exclusive rights to Gunn’s signature kangaroo dance from the Paris performance.
Gunn, a 37-year-old Sydney university lecturer, stated that her Olympic breaking debut in August left her “devastated” and prompted her retirement. Despite this, she expressed appreciation for the attention from celebrities such as late-night host Jimmy Fallon. “I don’t think I’m in a place yet to watch it but I will watch it at some point,” she commented.
On Thursday, Broadbridge updated her Instagram, announcing the musical’s rebranding as “Breaking: The Musical,” with the tagline: “A completely legal parody musical.” A new, satirical poster features a kangaroo silhouette in Raygun’s iconic pose.
In a Thursday statement, Gunn confirmed that her legal team had reached an agreement with Broadbridge.
“She still gets to go ahead with the musical, she’s got a new name, new poster, and she still gets to take that show on the road. So I’m really happy for her and I wish her all the best with the show and with the tour,” Gunn stated.
She denied reports of demanding a 10,000 Australian dollar ($6,230) payment for the use of her name.
“We have not sought any costs from all this. So there’s a lot of talk around this $10,000 … that was from really early on, like day one, my lawyers were acting on my behalf.”
Earlier media reports indicated Gunn’s lawyers were requesting at least $10,000 in legal fees from the musical’s promoter and iD Comedy Club owner Anthony Skinner.
Skinner, who intended to donate the show’s proceeds to a Sydney women’s shelter, was quoted in Australian media expressing his delight at the unexpected publicity for the production, now scheduled for Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney in early next year.
In her social media video, Gunn clarified that the decision to remove her name wasn’t about an inability “to take a joke.”
“I really do strive to support creativity and have loved the ways my performance has sparked so many different artistic interpretations, and there was so many fantastic memes that were clever, and funny and creative,” she explained.