Australian comedian and musician Steph Broadbridge had to cancel a musical based on Olympian Regoon’s breakdancing after his lawyers sent a cease and desist letter saying the Olympian owned the dance moves.
Rachel Gunn became famous for her unorthodox moves at the Paris Olympics, which did not score any points, but resulted in many run plays and guffaws. His lawyers approached him about trademarking the poster for the musical ‘Raygun the Musical’ before its debut at the Kinsellas Hotel in Darlinghurst, Sydney, which sold out. The A$10 ticket will be refunded, Broadbridge said.
Earlier, Raygan’s lawyers told Broadbridge that he was “not allowed” to do the kangaroo dance because Gunn was “owned”. The Guardian quoted her legal and management team as saying they are committed to protecting her intellectual property and ensuring her brand remains strong and respected.
Gunn’s unorthodox moves—particularly the sprinkler and kangaroo-hop—went viral after the Olympics.
Broadbridge was undaunted, and said in her Instagram response, “That freaked me out — I mean, that’s Olympic-level dancing. How could I do that without any formal breakdancing training?”
She promised to be “back soon” and “with a whole new story arc,” the Guardian reported.
Broadbridge was disturbed. She previously told the Sydney Morning Herald, “I was having fun with the story and was curious to see what happened in terms of how different generations and different genders reacted.” The musical featured eight characters, puppets and original songs including You May Be a B-Girl, But You’ll Always Be an A-Girl to Me, I’m Breaking Down and I’m a Celebrity. After Sydney, it was on to comedy festivals in Melbourne and Edinburgh the following year.
Broadbridge was afraid of how her music would be viewed by Raygun. But he was given notice and slapped.
The Guardian carried a statement from Gunn’s legal team which said: “While we have great respect for the credible work and effort that went into the development of the show, we must take the necessary steps to protect Rachel’s creative rights and the integrity of her work. This action is not intended to diminish the contributions of others, Rather it is to ensure that his brand is properly represented and protected in all future endeavors.”
Breaking had a run in Paris, but was dropped from the LA program, while Gunn retired fed up with the “upsetting” saga. The comedic musical was shelved before it even started, as Gunn insisted that she owns all of her story – fame, tricks and defeats.