Australian Olympian Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn has managed to shut down a musical parody that was scheduled to debut on Saturday (Dec 7) night at the iD Comedy Club in Sydney — based on her breakdancing performance at the Paris Olympics. Ms Gunn’s legal team approached the writer and promoter of the musical, titled Raygun: The Musical parody, and threatened them with action if they did not stop the production. Comedian Steph Broadbridge who helmed the project, took to Instagram to inform about the cancellation, stating that they were told not to use the name “Raygun” or the infamous “kangaroo dance” over concerns for her intellectual property.
“They were very concerned that people would think that Rachael Gunn was affiliated with the musical,” said Ms Broadbridge. “I want to assure everyone that she will not be part of the show. She’s very welcome to come, I would love for her to see it.”
Ms Broadbridge said despite the setback, she would be bringing the show back soon and “with a whole new arc”.
‘Protecting the brand’
Meanwhile, Raygun’s team said they were “committed to protecting her intellectual property and ensuring that her brand remains strong and respected”.
“While we have immense respect for the credible work and effort that has gone into the development of the show, we must take necessary steps to safeguard Rachael’s creative rights and the integrity of her work,” read the statement.
“This action is not intended to diminish the contributions of others, but rather to ensure her brand is properly represented and protected in all future endeavours,” it added.
Raygun’s team managed to stop the show despite satire and comedy being exempt under fair dealing in the Australian copyright law. Notably, Ms Gunn applied to have the name “RAYGUN” trademarked in August but the application remains under scrutiny.
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Raygun became viral on social media after her performance during the Olympics invited attention to the sport of breakdancing. She participated in three Olympic battles against breakers from the United States, France and Lithuania and lost all of them without scoring a single point.
Wearing a green Australian tracksuit, Raygun’s kangaroo-inspired hop and jump performance was viewed millions of times and led to a sea of memes. Even after her rather amusing performance, the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) – the governing body of breaking and other dance sports, ranked her as the no.1 breakdancer in the world in September.