- Raygun’s $10k demand caused backlash online
- Her lawyers asked a comedy club to pay $10k
- Comedian announces new breakdancing musical
Australian break-dancer Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn is copping fierce criticism after her lawyers requested $10,000 from the owner of a comedy club who promoted a musical about the Olympian.
The performance, which was entitled Raygun the Musical, was written by comedian Stephanie Broadbridge and was due to take place at Kinselas in Darlinghurst on December 7.
The show was canned at the last minute after Raygun’s lawyers had requested organisers shut the performance down due to an intellectual property dispute.
The musical was set to depict the break-dancer’s infamous Olympic journey over a 90-minute show and featured 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’.
It was first understood that Raygun’s lawyers shut down the performance in a bid to protect their client’s ‘intellectual property’ and to ensure ‘her brand remains strong and respected’.
The Sydney Morning Herald revealed the contents of the letter on Wednesday which had been sent to Darlinghurst’s iD Comedy Club owner Anthony Skinner, who had been requested to front their legal fees.
Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn has caused fierce backlash on social media with her latest move
Gunn’s lawyers are understood to have requested a comedy club reimburse them $10,000
Skinner, who was outraged by the letter, had planned to send the proceeds from the show to a women’s shelter, having made a profit of $500 from the sale of 70 tickets.
Skinner had offered to pay Raygun $500 in compensation, which the lawyers rejected during the letter.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Gunn’s intellectual property includes her ‘story, personal history, Olympics videos and choreography.’
The letter included multiple ‘absolute undertakings’ that Skinner was required to complete. One such clause included a request that read: ‘You will reimburse our client with legal costs to date which we estimate to be $10,000.’
Skinner was left baffled by the letter, telling The Age: ‘When they sent that $10,000 letter, I was like: ‘You’re f***ing joking’.
‘I’m thinking about studying law myself now!’
News of Raygun’s legal move has caused a social media storm, with many taking to social media to criticise the Olympian.
One X user posted on X: ‘Raygun is probably the worst person to achieve accidental fame. Everything she’s said or done since the Olympics has made me absolutely loathe her.’
Raygun’s legal team had shut down the show, which had already sold 70 tickets and was based on her Olympic journey
The comedian behind the Raygun musical is launching a new breakdance-inspired show
Another described her on X as the ‘World’s biggest Karen’.
A third posted: ‘She’s ruined it so much. Had a golden opportunity to lean into all of this – make money for her likeness from the play. Cycle through I’m A Celebrity/Amazing Race/Dancing With The Stars and probably end up hosting breakfast radio. Instead – she’s turned the public against her.’
Reporter Jordan Baker, from SMH, wrote: ‘If her reputation has suffered further since she got home, it’s her own doing. Her attempt at controlling her image is not only unsportsmanlike; it’s against everything Gunn’s own breaking culture is supposed to be about.’
Meanwhile, comedian Stephanie Broadbridge, who was set to perform the show, has announced she will be doing a new breakdancing show: Breaking The Musical.
Breaking The Musical – A Completely Legal Parody Musical will be playing in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney in 2025.
The comedian broke the news on social media with a poster for the show, which no longer uses Raygun’s name.
Instead, the poster now features the shadow of a kangaroo seemingly performing the Aussie dancer’s signature hopping move.
