5 Reasons to License Pirates! The Penzance Musical from Theatrical Rights Worldwide

Theatrical Rights Worldwide is thrilled to announce that performance rights for Pirates! The Penzance Musical are now fully available for licensing worldwide.

Transporting the pirates from Penzance to 1800s New Orleans, this outrageously clever romp features a brand-new book by Tony Award winner Rupert Holmes (Curtains) and direction by Scott Ellis, transforming the beloved operetta into a contemporary Broadway musical comedy with richer, juicier roles for both the principals and ensemble, and brand-new orchestrations that sizzle with Caribbean rhythms and French Quarter flair.

To celebrate the global release of performance rights, Holmes and Ellis share what makes Pirates! The Penzance Musical an irresistible choice for schools, community theatres, and professional companies alike. Here's five reasons that Pirates! could be your theatre's next big hit.

David Hyde Pierce, Ramin Karimloo, and company of *Pirates! The Penzance Musical* Joan Marcus

1. A Classic, Reimagined for Today's Audiences

“We took a Victorian operetta from the 1800s and transformed it into a Broadway musical comedy of the 2020s,” says Holmes.

Holmes describes the adaptation succinctly: “Gilbert and Sullivan without the footnotes.” The result is a show that honors the original while delivering fast-paced comedy, emotional clarity, and a theatrical language that feels modern and accessible.

“You can do it all in the name of doing a classic,” Holmes adds, “and yet you’re really putting on a wildly fun, silly, delightful romantic comedy that feels modern.”

2. A Jazz-Infused Score That Sweeps You Away

“[We created] a score that goes from raucous to rousing to ravishing,” says Holmes. “Sullivan’s tunes take to jazz like a duck takes to orange sauce. It’s as if they’ve been waiting to be jazzed up their whole lives.”

Director Scott Ellis agrees. “The moment that downbeat happens and that jazz starts, you’re swept away to another place," he shares. "It is joyous!”

For performers and audiences alike, the music delivers energy, sophistication, and sheer theatrical pleasure.

3. Smarter Storytelling That Fixes the Original's Gaps

Holmes set out to solve long-standing narrative issues in The Pirates of Penzance—and succeeds brilliantly.

“Like any great work, Pirates of Penzance for a modern audience presents a number of problems,” Holmes explains. “There’s no satisfying ending for two of its major characters.”

In this version, Ruth no longer disappears after Act 1. “She’s got an 11 o’clock number that never existed there. She has a happy ending that makes sense within our storyline.”

The Modern Major General is also expanded. “He now has a second patter song—maybe the second most respected and enjoyed patter song in Gilbert and Sullivan—and he is the spearhead of the happy ending of our story.”

And Frederic becomes a true leading man. Holmes calls him a “A full-bodied, full-blooded action hero,” complete with a new opening number and a fully staged duel with the Pirate King.

Even the famous swordfight gets an upgrade. Holmes explains, “In [the original], the fight is only three bars of music long. In this, they've got an actual fight scene that can be as long as any director or choreographer wants it to be. And it can be any stage, any way they want… [The fight scene] is exhilarating, and the music is exhilarating.”

The iconic Sullivan melodies have been reorchestrated with infectious new life.

Samantha Williams and company of *Pirates! The Penzance Musical* Joan Marcus

4. Expanded Roles, Ensemble Power, and Casting Flexibility

One of Pirates!’ greatest strengths is its generosity to performers.

“All of the principal roles are expanded and richer, but so is the ensemble,” says Holmes. “The women have backbones and issues and are fighting for something. The pirates have heart and loyalty and compassion.”

Ellis highlights the show’s scalability, “It’s a large cast show, but everyone gets to do something. Everyone has their moment… You could add more pirates. You could add more women.”

The Stanley daughters are fully realized characters, each with solo lines, and their material can be redistributed for larger casts. The Police Sergeant’s number becomes a full-blown showstopper featuring the women of the company.

For all theatre groups, this means maximum casting flexibility, inclusivity, and participation.

5. A Gateway to New Generations of Theatregoers

Ellis frames the mission clearly: “I have two 16-year-olds. They have no clue who Gilbert and Sullivan are. Our feeling was—how do you introduce Gilbert and Sullivan to a new generation?”

Holmes adds, “We’ve kept all of the gorgeous language that still is understandable today… Gilbert’s spirit is felt throughout, but you can understand what everybody’s saying.”

Whether audiences are discovering Gilbert and Sullivan for the first time—or seeing it anew—Pirates! meets them where they are.

And the cultural legacy remains unmistakable. The iconic “Modern Major General” song has appeared everywhere from The Simpsons to Star Trek. As Holmes notes, “Everybody in the world sort of knows that funny talking song.”

Theatrical Rights Worldwide (TRW), comprised of TRW Musicals, TRW Plays, and TRW Production, was founded in 2006 by Owner and CEO Steve Spiegel. With headquarters in NYC and London and local offices around the world, TRW provides full-service representation on behalf of authors and rightsholders for live-stage performance of their musicals and plays to the global marketplace of school, amateur and professional theatre organizations. The growing TRW Musicals catalog of shows include Jersey Boys, The Prom, The Addams Family, Monty Python's Spamalot, All Shook Up, Million Dollar Quartet, On Your Feet!, Curtains, Ghost the Musical, Bright Star, Ring of Fire, Memphis The Musical, The Color Purple, Big Fish, and many more. The TRW Plays catalog of shows include Born With Teeth, Sanctuary City, The Coast Starlight, Barbecue, Zoey's Perfect Wedding, Dracula, Selling Kabul, MacBitches, Sagittarius Ponderosa, and more, and features esteemed playwrights such as Pulitzer Prize winner Martyna Majok, Matthew López, Kate Hamill, Robert O'Hara, Sophie McIntosh, Keith Bunin, Liz Duffy Adams, Douglas Carter Beane, Sylvia Khoury, and many others.