The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical concert at Royal Albert Hall cancelled after Netflix lawsuit

Plans for a concert performance of The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical in London have been cancelled.

Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear’s hit concept album based on the Netflix series was due to be brought to life at Royal Albert Hall on 20 September 2022.

However the show has been cancelled amid a lawsuit from Netflix following a similar concert in the United States.

A statement from the Royal Albert Hall reads: “Sadly Barlow and Bear have cancelled their performance of The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical, Live in Concert at the Royal Albert Hall.”

The cancellation comes after Netflix launched a lawsuit against Barlow & Bear for infringement.

In the court papers, the streamer claims: “Defendants Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear and their companies (“Barlow & Bear”) have taken valuable intellectual property from the Netflix original series Bridgerton to build an international brand for themselves.”

A spokesperson for Netflix said: “Netflix supports fan-generated content, but Barlow & Bear have taken this many steps further, seeking to create multiple revenue streams for themselves without formal permission to utilize the Bridgerton IP.

“We’ve tried hard to work with Barlow & Bear, and they have refused to cooperate. The creators, cast, writers and crew have poured their hearts and souls into Bridgerton, and we’re taking action to protect their rights.”

Julia Quinn, author of the original books, added: “Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear are wildly talented, and I was flattered and delighted when they began composing Bridgerton songs and sharing with other fans on TikTok. There is a difference, however, between composing on TikTok and recording and performing for commercial gain.

“I would hope that Barlow & Bear, who share my position as independent creative professionals, understand the need to protect other professionals’ intellectual property, including the characters and stories I created in the Bridgerton novels over twenty years ago.”

As for writing, Barlow & Bear have yet to publicly respond to the lawsuit.