Olympic breaker Raygun says legal dispute over comedy musical has been resolved

B-girl Rachael “Raygun” Gunn has stated that her dispute with a comedian has been resolved, after her lawyers shut down a parody musical based on her Olympic journey.

Sydney comedian Stephanie Broadbridge cancelled her Raygun-inspired musical two weeks ago after receiving a letter from the b-girl's lawyers. Gunn’s lawyers claimed her name and the silhouette of her signature kangaroo pose, which she used at the 2024 Paris Olympics, were protected intellectual property.

In an effort to quell the online storm, Ms Gunn released a video statement on Instagram on Thursday night, stating that her legal team and Ms Broadbridge’s team had reached an agreement. “Hi everyone, it’s been a big few weeks,” Ms Gunn said in the video posted to Instagram. “I’m not going to lie, it’s been a crazy ride, but I’m happy to say that we’ve resolved everything. My team has been working with Stephanie’s team, and we’ve come to an agreement.”

The pair have posted a series of posts on social media documenting the legal dispute. Ms Broadbridge announced on Thursday that she would proceed with another “completely legal parody musical”. This comes after the owner of the club which was scheduled to host the musical, Anthony Skinner, said he was billed $10,000 in legal fees by Ms Gunn’s lawyers. In legal letters from Ms Gunn’s lawyers seen by the ABC, Mr Skinner was asked to “reimburse our client for legal costs to date, which we estimate to be $10,000”. Mr Skinner said he had offered Ms Gunn $500 in ticket revenue, but the lawyers declined.

The Olympic b-girl said she was “blindsided” by the musical and only became aware of it through media reports. Ms Gunn explained this in the video, claiming the $10,000 fee was to cover potential legal costs if the matter went to court. “We didn’t ask for any fees. So there’s been a lot said about this $10,000 … that was very early on, like day one, my lawyers acting on my behalf. They sent out a letter, you know, they asked for a response within a certain time … they didn’t get a response. You know, we were worried that we might have to go to court. Obviously, no one wants that, so the $10,000 was just my potential legal fees if we had to go to court. But luckily, we didn’t. We’re not asking for any fees, I’ve said before, it’s not about the money, it’s still not about the money. We haven’t received any fees from them, from either Stephanie or the comedy club.”

Mr Skinner has been contacted for comment. In an Instagram statement posted on Thursday night, Ms Broadbridge apologised and admitted she did not contact Gunn before creating the title and poster for the original show, Raygun the Musical. “It was never my intention to mislead people into thinking she was involved,” Broadbridge wrote. “I am deeply sorry to hear Raygun has faced negative publicity due to media attention around the cancellation of the musical preview. The last thing I ever wanted was for anyone to receive hate or pain from this situation.” Speaking to Sydney Drive, Ms Broadbridge said she had originally intended to complete the show after the preview and invite Gunn to the premiere night. “It’s a whole new environment for me and I just want to say I’m really sorry for any hurt that was caused. It certainly wasn’t my intention.”

Ms Broadbridge’s revised musical, Break the Musical, will be a “fictionalised account of a moment in Australian history”. “It’s about the sport, it’s about the internet, it’s about entertainment,” she told Sydney Drive. “It’s about a young Australian with a dream. I’m playing the main character so I’m portraying myself in a very good light.” Ms Gunn said it had been a stressful period for both her and Ms Broadbridge. “It’s been a stressful period for me and it’s been hard for me, but I know I’m not the only one,” she added. “I know it’s been hard for Stephanie, everyone in her show and a lot of other people, and I never intended to cause any hurt or pain.”