In brief
The planned debut of 'Raygun: The Musical,' a parody about Olympian Rachael Gunn, faced cancellation due to a legal threat from Gunn's team, who asserted intellectual property rights over her signature dance moves.
Rachael Gunn, an Australian breaker who competed at the Olympics, has impacted the theatre world after her legal team intervened to halt the debut of 'Raygun: The Musical,' a parody centered on her dance journey intended for the Paris games. Comedian Steph Broadbridge, who developed the show and was slated to perform, received a cease and desist letter asserting that Gunn had trademarked her unique dance moves, which included viral hits like the "sprinkler" and "kangaroo-hop."Set to launch this Saturday at Kinselas in Darlinghurst, Sydney, the production was abruptly called off as Gunn's legal representatives argued that Broadbridge could not perform specific dances without infringing upon Gunn's intellectual property. Broadbridge expressed her confusion regarding this issue, particularly when it came to the use of the kangaroo dance, which she pointed out would be impossible to execute accurately without formal training.In response to the cancelling of the show, Broadbridge took to Instagram, assuring fans that 'Raygun: The Musical' would return with a new narrative twist, while also promising refunds to attendees who had purchased tickets for the show. "They [Gunn's legal team] were worried I was damaging her brand, which I would never," she stated in her video.Despite Gunn's well-documented struggle at the Olympics—a competition where she received zero points during the round-robin stage and faced harsh criticism—her legal claims for the musical have raised concerns within the artistic community. Following her Olympic performance, Gunn expressed her distress over the backlash and has since chosen to retire from competitive breaking.Gunn's management has clarified their position, acknowledging the creative efforts behind Broadbridge's work while emphasizing their need to protect Gunn's brand and contributions. In a hopeful twist, Broadbridge mentioned changing the character’s name to “Raygun with an I” in hopes of alleviating the legal issues surrounding the original title. As future discussions unfold, both Gunn’s artistic endeavors and Broadbridge’s comedic plans face uncertainty.
