A theater company that made a musical inspired by Bridgerton being sued by Netflix.
The period drama has been a huge hit since it hit our screens in Christmas 2020, becoming one of the streamer’s most-watched shows.
Created by Shonda Rhimes, it follows Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) as she makes her debut on Regency London‘s competitive marriage market, hoping to follow in her parents’ footsteps and find a match fueled by true love.
Fans went wild for the romantic and daring exploits of high society players, and the cast, including Phoebe, 27, and Regé-Jean Pageskyrocketed from unknown actors to bona fide A-listers.
Inspired by Bridgerton, songwriters Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear composed music that began as a “passion project that became an unexpected viral sensation.”
They recorded 15 songs based on the hit series in six weeks, live on social media, and the full album won the Grammy for best musical theater album.
Barlow, 23, and Bear, 20, went on to create a show featuring the soundtrack from their Bridgerton album called The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical Album Live in Concert.
The show debuted Tuesday at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall in Washington DC, prompting action from Netflix’s lawyers, according to entertainment magazine Deadline.
The streamer’s legal team filed documents to sue Barlow and Bear, saying they staged a “huge for-profit show,” selling out tickets ranging up to “$149 (£122) each for VIP.” -packages.”
Netflix claimed it had made “repeated objections” to the execution, but it went ahead anyway.
“Defendants Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear and their companies (Barlow and Bear) have taken valuable intellectual property from the Netflix original series Bridgerton to build an international brand for themselves,” the document reads.
Bridgerton reflects the creative work and hard-earned success of hundreds of artists and Netflix contributors. Netflix owns the exclusive right to create Bridgerton songs, musicals, or other derivative works based on Bridgerton.
“Barlow and Bear can’t take that right—made valuable by the hard work of others—for themselves, without permission. Yet that is exactly what they have done.’
Barlow and Bear have yet to comment on the lawsuit.
Tickets are still on sale in the UK for The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical Album Live in Concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall in September.
Ticket prices are advertised from £30 to £71.25, with additional VIP packages, the most expensive costing £1800.08, available.
In a statement obtained by the publication, a Netflix spokesperson said: “Netflix supports fan-generated content, but Barlow & Bear have taken so many steps forward by creating multiple revenue streams for themselves without formal permission to use Bridgerton’s IP address.” to use.
“We’ve tried hard to work with Barlow & Bear, but they’ve refused to cooperate. The creators, cast, writers and crew have poured their hearts and souls into Bridgerton and we are taking action to protect their rights.”
Bridgerton Season 3 is currently being filmed, featuring a teaser trailer released last week.
The new series will focus on Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan), also known as Gossip Queen Lady Whistledown, and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton).
Metro.co.uk has reached out to Barlow and Bear and Netflix for comment.
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