Aussies have slammed Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn from pillar to post after her lawyers shut down an unauthorised musical about her – but she could have avoided all the drama if she’d followed Shane Warne’s lead when he was confronted with a very similar situation.
The Olympic breakdancer broke her silence about the drama on Thursday after her legal team demanded $10,000 from a comedy club owner who promoted ‘Raygun the Musical’.
The comedian behind the performance, Stephanie Broadbridge, has ensured the show will go on by reworking it so the material doesn’t mention Gunn by name in order to avoid any trademark infringements.
Now the episode has left a bad taste in the mouth of many Aussie sports fans – and Gunn’s reaction stands in stark contrast to what Warne did when an unauthorised musical about his life was being made.
‘Shane Warne: The Musical’ premiered in a Melbourne theatre in December 2008 but the late Spin King was not a fan at all.
Raygun was branded ‘the world’s biggest Karen’ after her legal team shut down an unauthorised musical about her Paris Olympics performance
Comedian Stephanie Broadbent (pictured) changed major parts of her show after Gunn’s legal team asked for $10,000 to cover the breaker’s legal costs
Cricket icon Shane Warne took the opposite path when he was left very unimpressed by performer Eddie Perfect’s unauthorised musical about his life (Perfect is pictured playing Warne alongside Lisa McClune, left, in ‘Shane Warne: The Musical’ in 2013)
‘He detested the fact a musical was being made about him,’ the man behind the show, comedian, actor and musician Eddie Perfect, said in an Instagram post.
But instead of looking on as his legal team tried to stop the show in its tracks, Warne took the completely opposite course.
‘He came and saw the 2nd preview at the Athenaeum [theatre] in Melbourne and loved it,’ Perfect recalled.
‘He gave me and the crazy musical I wrote his imprimatur and even came out through the festoon light doors on stage to take a bow on opening night.
‘He was everything you hear about him; smart, funny, warm and generous.’
‘Shane Warne: The Musical’ won positive reviews, starred big names like Lisa McCune and Shane Jacobson, and was reworked for another run in 2013.
Perfect’s recollection cropped up on social media this week in light of Raygun’s latest headline-making incident and prompted former Victorian politician Peter Katsambanis to recall how AFL bad boy turned footy great Ben Cousins dealt with publicity around a musical about him at the height of his infamy.
Warne (pictured in 2013) attended one of the shows and ‘loved it’, according to Perfect
Footy bad boy turned AFL great Ben Cousins (pictured at a telethon this October) also sent his best wishes to the people behind a warts-and-all rock opera about his chequered career
Raygun has denied claims her lawyers told Broadbridge she couldn’t perform the famous ‘kangaroo dance’ from her Olympics routine because it has been trademarked
The show ‘Ben Cousins: A Rock Opera’ hit the stage in 2010, with its author, comedian Kieran Butler, stressing that the warts-and-all production was ‘not actually trying to do an accurate representation of this guy’s life’.
At the time, Cousins was on the verge of retirement after resurrecting his career at Richmond when his drug abuse resulted in him being sacked by West Coast and banned for a year by the AFL.
A headline-grabbing show featuring his shocking off-field behaviour was one of the last things he needed but once again, his reaction was the opposite of Raygun’s.
‘When I did Ben Cousins A Rock Opera with Keiran Butler for the MICF [Melbourne International Comedy Festival] Ben sent a message through a 3rd party saying he couldn’t come as it would create a circus he didn’t need but he wished us all the best,’ Katsambanis tweeted.
‘But rumour has it he did sneak in one night.’
Aussies who buy tickets to see the Raygun show will be treated to what Broadbridge now describes as ‘a completely legal parody musical’ that she claims is ranked ‘the No.1 musical by The World Musical Sports Federation’ in a lighthearted reference to the fact Gunn was ranked the world’s best female breaker despite her Paris Olympics disaster.
Broadbridge released a statement admitting she didn’t contact Gunn before creating the show and its poster, and announcing she has changed the name to ‘Breaking The Musical’.
On Thursday, Raygun told her fans, ‘My team’s been working with Steph’s team and we’ve managed to come to an agreement and she still gets to go ahead with the musical. She’s got a new name. New poster. And she still gets to take that show on the road.
‘I’m really happy for her and I wish her all the best with the show and with the tour.’
