Revealed: How Shane Warne and Ben Cousins showed Raygun the RIGHT way to deal with a comedian making a musical about her

Australians have sent Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn from pillar to post after her lawyers dropped an unauthorized musical about her – but she could have avoided all the drama if she had followed Shane Warne’s example when he faced a similar situation .

The Olympic breakdancer broke her silence on the drama Thursday after her legal team demanded $10,000 from a comedy club owner who promoted “Raygun the Musical.”

The comedian behind the performance, Stephanie Broadbridge, has ensured that the show will go ahead by reworking it so that the material does not mention Gunn by name to avoid trademark infringement.

Now the episode has left a bad taste in the minds of many Australian sports fans – and Gunn’s reaction is in stark contrast to what Warne did when an unauthorized musical was made about his life.

‘Shane Warne: The Musical’ premiered at a Melbourne theater in December 2008, but the late Spin King wasn’t a fan at all.

Comedian Stephanie Broadbent (pictured) changed major parts of her show after Gunn’s legal team asked for $10,000 to cover the burglar’s legal costs

Cricket icon Shane Warne took the opposite path when he was deeply impressed by performer Eddie Perfect’s unauthorized musical about his life (Perfect is pictured playing Warne alongside Lisa McClune, left, in ‘Shane Warne: The Musical’ in 2013 )

“He hated that a musical was being made about him,” the man behind the show, comedian, actor and musician Eddie Perfect, said in an Instagram post.

But instead of watching as his legal team tried to stop the show, Warne took the complete opposite course.

‘He came and saw the 2nd preview in the Athenaeum [theatre] in Melbourne and loved it,” Perfect recalls.

‘He gave me and the amazing musical I wrote his imprimatur and even came through the pendulum light doors onto the stage to take a bow on opening night.

“He was everything you hear about him; smart, funny, warm and generous.’

‘Shane Warne: The Musical’ received positive reviews, starring big names like Lisa McCune and Shane Jacobson, and was reworked for another run in 2013.

Perfect’s memory surfaced on social media this week in light of Raygun’s latest headline incident, prompting former Victorian politician Peter Katsambanis to recall how the AFL bad boy made football great. Ben Cousins ​​handled the publicity surrounding a musical about him at the height of his infamy.

Warne (pictured in 2013) attended one of the shows and loved it, according to Perfect

Footy bad boy turned AFL great Ben Cousins ​​(pictured during a telethon in October) also sent his best wishes to the people behind a rock opera about his eventful career

Raygun has denied claims that her lawyers told Broadbridge she could not perform the famous ‘kangaroo dance’ from her Olympic routine because it is trademarked

The show ‘Ben Cousins: A Rock Opera’ hit the stage in 2010, with its author, comedian Kieran Butler, insisting that the production ‘didn’t really try to give an accurate representation of this man’s life’.

At the time, Cousins ​​was on the verge of retirement after reviving his career with Richmond, when his drug abuse led to him being sacked by West Coast and banned by the AFL for a year.

A show making headlines with his shocking off-field behavior was one of the last things he needed, but again, his reaction was the opposite of Raygun’s.

‘When I did Ben Cousins ​​A Rock Opera with Keiran Butler for the MICF [Melbourne International Comedy Festival] Ben sent a message through a third party saying he couldn’t come because it would create a circus he didn’t need, but he wished us all the best,” Katsambanis tweeted.

“But rumor has it he snuck in one night.”

Australians who buy tickets to see the Raygun show will be treated to what Broadbridge now describes as ‘a fully legal parody musical’ which she claims has been ranked as ‘The World Musical Sports Federation’s No. 1 musical’, in a light-hearted reference to the fact Gunn was ranked as the world’s best female breaker despite her disaster at the Paris Olympics.

Broadbridge released a statement admitting that she did not contact Gunn before creating the show and poster, and announcing that she has changed the name to ‘Breaking The Musical’.

On Thursday, Raygun told her fans: “My team worked with Steph’s team and we managed to reach an agreement and she can still go ahead with the musical. She has a new name. New poster. And she still gets to take that show on the road.

“I’m very happy for her and wish her all the best with the show and the tour.”