Penzance is a coastal port and town in Cornwall in the west of England, and is around three hundred miles to the south west of London. It has a population of 21,168 people and has been made particularly famous by the Pirates of Penzance, which is the name of a comic opera that was written in the nineteenth century by Gilbert and Sullivan. Arthur Sullivan wrote the dialogue and the lyrics, while WS Gilbert composed the music.

It is interesting that the official premier of the Pirates of Penzance in 1879 was not held in Penzance, or indeed anywhere in Cornwall, neither was it held in London as you may reasonably think. It was actually held in New York at the Fifth Avenue Theatre. Why did a very British comic opera launch in New York? You may well ask. The reason is to do with copyright piracy. Gilbert and Sullivan's previous production HMS Pinafore was ripped off in America, where the law at the time did not offer any copyright protection to people from countries outside the USA. Hundreds of theatre companies in the USA performed unauthorized versions and did not pay royalties.

So Gilbert and Sullivan decided to pre-empt further copyright piracy by premiering their piratical masterpiece in the USA, before others could copy it. They also delayed publishing the score and libretto of the Pirates of Penzance, and set up touring companies to perform the show across the USA. As a result, Gilbert and Sullivan got the profits from the shows in the USA, which otherwise they would never have seen. However, once they took the show to London, the Americans proceeded to perform their own versions, and Gilbert and Sullivan could not use US law to enforce their copyright.

The show got a resoundingly good reception in New York from critics and audiences alike. After playing to packed houses for three months in New York, the Pirates of Penzance transferred to London in 1880 where it was met with rapturous acclaim and ran for more than three hundred and sixty shows. The title of the Pirates of Penzance was intended as a joke that worked on a number of levels. Firstly, Penzance has always been a very calm and docile place, and pirates were never found there. Secondly, the title made reference to the copyright pirates who put on unlicensed shows of their previous work HMS Pinafore in the USA.

The songs in the Pirates of Penzance are terrific. The Major General, Pray Observe The Magnanimity, and With Cat Like Tread are just a few of the songs, and are hugely enjoyable and memorable tunes. The Major General song from the Pirates of Penzance is frequently used in movies and on TV. It has been referred to in the science fiction show Star Trek The Next Generation. The song has been aired in the American comedy shows Frasier, The Simpsons, and the Muppet Show. The song has also been heard in the TV shows Home Improvement, Mad About You, and Babylon 5. The 1980s movie Pretty Woman made reference to the Pirates of Penzance in a scene featuring Richard Gere and Julia Roberts.