Comedian Steapnie Broadbridge has apologized to Olympic breakdancer Rachel ‘Raygun’ Gunn after a musical reportedly inspired by the B-girl’s journey to the Paris Games was axed by her legal team.
A trial performance of ‘Breaking: The Musical’, written by Broadbridge and due to take place at Kinselas in Sydney’s Darlinghurst on Saturday, has been canceled after Gunn’s lawyers sent a defamation letter to the show’s organisers.
Her lawyers had threatened legal action against the venue and its promoter to protect their client’s ‘intellectual property’. They had also issued a cease and desist order to protect their client’s brand reputation and ensure it ‘remained strong and respected’.
Broadbridge, who was set to star in the show, has claimed the show will still be on in some form but apologized for it. Channel 10’s The Project on Sunday evening.
“If you’re watching, I just want to say I’m truly sorry for any negativity you’ve received as a result of this,” Broadbridge said, addressing the Olympic breakdancer.
“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.
Comedian Stepahnie Broadbridge has apologized to Rachel ‘Raygun’ Gunn after her musical was cancelled
‘Breaking: The Musical,’ a parody based on the rise of Olympic B-girl Raygun, was canceled at the last minute after the real Raygun’s lawyers threatened legal action on Saturday
Raygun’s legal team had issued the notice after a trademarked silhouette image of the B-girl was used in a promotional poster for the show
“I just wanted to support you through it. If there has been any negativity, I am truly sorry.”
Raygun has become an Australian cult hero after jumping like a kangaroo during her Olympic performance at the Paris Games.
Although she failed to score a point at the Olympics, many have hailed her as a sporting icon after her performance, but Raygun has also received some backlash from trolls online.
She has been praised and mocked by some online and was recently spotted partying with Richard Branson and Boy George.
Broadbridge, meanwhile, added that she had had no direct contact with the Breakdancing star, saying: ‘I don’t know if she has a problem with it.
‘I haven’t spoken to her. Her lawyers haven’t spoken to me.
“(I’ve) all been way too removed from what’s happening. I hope she still wants to see it.”
It is understood the issue stemmed from a trademarked image of the Raygun silhouette dancing during her performance at the Paris Olympics, which was used in a poster for the show. Lawyers were concerned that the comedian would also use Raygun’s famous dance moves during the performance.
Broadbridge said the musical was not intended to be “nasty or with any malice” towards Raygun
The show features 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’.
‘For me, her [Raygun] is an Australian icon, a female Australian icon, a white female Australian icon and I thought, “I could play that,” said Broadbridge, speaking on Raygun.
“I’m very excited to tell her story.
“It wasn’t intended to be nasty or done with any kind of malice, and it certainly wasn’t intended to take place on the scale that it took place. This was meant to be very quiet.’
She added: ‘It was not intended to be nasty or done with any kind of malice, and it certainly was not intended to take place on the scale that it took place. It was meant to be very quiet.’
But when she asked if the musical was the mickey, she said, “Oh no, very much so. But with love!’
Raygun’s legal team has released a statement addressing their reasoning for issuing the cease and desist order.
“While we have tremendous respect for the credible work and effort that went into developing the show, we must take the necessary steps to safeguard Rachael’s creative rights and the integrity of her work,” Born Bred representatives said Talent in a statement.
The comedian called Raygun (pictured) a “female Australian icon” before stating that the B-girl had not been involved in the planning for the show but would extend her an invite
“This action is not intended to diminish the contributions of others, but rather to ensure that her brand is appropriately represented and protected in all future endeavors.”
Broadridge confirmed the show would not take place on Saturday after sending a message to fans on social media.
‘They were… afraid I would hurt her [Raygun’s] brand, which I would never do… She doesn’t need me to do that,” she said.
She added that those who purchased tickets for the show would be refunded $10 toward the price of their tickets.
“Her lawyers have trademarked my poster, which is flattering. I hope they do something fun with that,” she added.
It comes as Gunn had tried to register the name ‘Raygun’ as a trademark in August, but that hit a sticking point: the Australian breakdancer’s application was blocked by a review in October.
Broadbridge had confirmed that Gunn was not involved in the show’s production, but had invited the B-girl.
The comedian had given a funny response online to the show’s cancellation, telling her Instagram followers while dressed as the Australian breakdancer: ‘Hi, I’m comedian Steph Broadbridge, just hanging out in my casual clothes.
On Saturday morning, she took to social media with a funny response to Raygun’s lawyers
‘My trial performance for Raygun the Musical tonight has been cancelled.
“Raygun’s lawyers contacted the venue and threatened legal action, so we will refund everyone their $10.
“Halo trademarked my poster, which is flattering, I hope they do something cool with that.
‘They were also afraid that I would damage her brand, which I would never do.
“She doesn’t need me to do that.”
She added: “They were very concerned that people would think Rachael Gunn was involved in the musical. I want to assure everyone that she will not be part of the show.”
Broadbridge then invited Raygun onto the show before adding, “She [Gunn’s lawyers] also said I couldn’t do the dance because she owns the kangaroo dance.
‘That one confused me, I mean, that’s an Olympic level dance. How could I possibly do that without formal breakdancing training?
“Anyway, to address the concerns of Raygun’s lawyers, I will be changing the character’s name to Raygun with an I.
“So I hope this addresses everyone’s concerns.”