An Australian comedian has been forced to cancel her show inspired by Paris 2024 breaker Rachael Gunn, better known as Raygun, after the Olympian’s representatives issued legal threats.
Raygun: The Musical was due to debut at Kinselas in Sydney’s Darlinghurst on Saturday evening, before performances scheduled for 2025 at comedy festivals in Sydney, Melbourne and Edinburgh.
Steph Broadbridge cancelled her show based on the breaking of Rachael Gunn, aka Raygun.Credit: Steven Siewert
But comedian Steph Broadbridge canned Saturday’s performance after Gunn’s lawyers sent several letters to the show’s promoter, iD Comedy Club, asking them to cancel the show and not use the name “Raygun” or the athlete’s now famous “kangaroo dance”, as both were Gunn’s intellectual property.
Gunn applied to trademark the name “Raygun” in August. The application remains under examination, however, the government agency that issues trademarks published an “adverse report” in October functionally knocking back the claim.
However, Gunn does have a trademark on a silhouette image of her performing the kangaroo dance, which was accepted on November 15 and is awaiting publication. This trademark was filed on September 25, the day Broadbridge first promoted her musical on Instagram.
In a statement, Gunn’s management, Born Bred Talent, said it was “committed to protecting her intellectual property and ensuring that her brand remains strong and respected” and anticipated the trademarks would soon be registered.
“In addition to the application, Rachael holds significant common law rights and goodwill in her stage name ‘Raygun’, further strengthening her position,” they said.
Billed as “a parody exploration of a breakdancer’s journey to the 2024 Paris Olympics”, Raygun: The Musical followed the story of Gunn, the Sydney academic whose quirky performance representing Australia in breaking became one of the most viral moments from the Games.
Gunn’s team said it had come to their attention that the use of Raygun by Broadbridge had “caused confusion among the public, potentially leading them to believe [the musical] had Rachael’s endorsement or approval”.