Rachel ‘Raygun’ Gunn’s lawyers are said to have asked a comedy club to reimburse them $10,000 after her legal counsel canceled a musical performance that would have been based on her trip to the 2024 Paris Games.
The performance, titled Raygun the Musical, was written by comedian Stephanie Broadbridge and was due to take place at Kinselas in Darlinghurst on December 7.
The show was canceled at the last minute after Raygun’s lawyers asked organizers to stop the performance due to an intellectual property dispute.
The musical would depict the breakdancer’s Olympic journey over a 90-minute show and featured original songs including ‘You May Be A B-Girl But You’ll Always Be An A Girl To Me’ and ‘I Would Have Won But I Pulled’. A muscle’.
It was initially understood that Raygun’s lawyers had halted the performance in an attempt to protect their client’s ‘intellectual property’ and ensure ‘her brand remains strong and respected’.
The Sydney Morning Herald on Wednesday revealed the contents of the letter sent to Anthony Skinner, owner of Darlinghurst’s iD Comedy Club, who had been asked to pay their legal costs.
Rachel ‘Raygun’ Gunn’s Lawyers Reportedly Asked A Comedy Club To Reimburse Them $10,000
The performance, titled Raygun the Musical, was written by comedian Stephanie Broadbridge (pictured) and was due to take place at Kinselas in Darlinghurst on December 7.
Raygun’s legal team had halted the show, which had already sold 70 tickets and was based on her Olympic journey
Skinner, who was outraged by the letter, planned to send the show’s proceeds to a women’s shelter after making a $500 profit from the sale of 70 tickets.
Skinner had offered to pay Raygun $500 in damages, which the attorneys rejected in the letter.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Gunn’s intellectual property includes her “story, personal history, Olympic videos and choreography.”
The letter contained several “absolute commitments” that Skinner had to keep. One of those clauses included a request that read: “You will reimburse our client for legal costs to date, which we estimate to be $10,000.”
Skinner was stunned by the letter, telling The Age: ‘When they sent that $10,000 letter I thought, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’
‘I’m thinking about studying law myself now!
“The average person has no idea about this stuff. It seems like they’re just using that to their advantage and trying to make people crumble. I think they think my comedy company is more successful than it is.”
Skinner claimed that paying the legal fees could bankrupt his company.
The Olympian had explained the decision to cancel the musical
“People need to know that this kind of bulls*** is going on: they’re trying to get $10,000 out of a company whose sole purpose is to support comedians.”
He added: “If anyone wants to help that would be great. Legal matters are not really our strong suit. We just make people laugh.”
Raygun explained the decision to close the show during a social media post last Friday.
“People assumed that we had developed it, that we had approved of it and it damaged a lot of relationships, both personal and professional,” she said.
“This is why my management team and legal team had to work so quickly to shut down the musical.
‘It was a real shame that the show had to be canceled so close to launch.
“I know the artist would have put a lot of work into it and that really sucks.
“If we had known earlier, the outcome could have been different.”
She added that the decision was not made because she “couldn’t take a joke.”
“I really strive to support creativity and I loved that my performance led to so many different artistic interpretations and that there were so many fantastic memes that were smart, funny and creative,” she said.
Broadbridge had given a funny response to Raygun’s lawyers on social media
“I have a whole folder of them on my phone, so not being able to take a joke isn’t the problem here.”
Broadbridge had previously apologized to the Olympian while speaking on Channel 10’s The project.
“If you’re watching, I just want to say I’m truly sorry for the negativity you’ve received as a result of this,” Broadbridge said, speaking to Raygun.
“I can promise you that was not my intention. The idea was that I would try to make you feel like the icon that I think you can be in Australia.