Name the title and the authors of the stage musical work named after a town in southwestern England?

The celebrated duo of W.S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan are behind this famous comic opera. Their work, *The Pirates of Penzance*, is set on the coast of Cornwall, taking its name directly from the real-life seaside town in southwestern England. The story follows a young man named Frederic who, having been mistakenly apprenticed to a band of pirates, resolves to leave their service on his 21st birthday. His plans are complicated by his leap-year birthdate and his comically strong sense of duty.

Interestingly, the show’s premiere was a strategic move to combat actual piracy of a different kind. To prevent unauthorized American productions from profiting from their work, Gilbert and Sullivan mounted the official world premiere in New York City on New Year's Eve in 1879, securing the U.S. copyright. A single, rudimentary performance had been staged in Paignton, another English coastal town, just one day earlier to secure the British rights before the show's official London debut.

The operetta remains one of the most beloved and frequently performed in the Gilbert and Sullivan canon. Its legacy is cemented by its clever wordplay and iconic music, most notably the rapid-fire patter song "I am the very model of a modern Major-General," which has been widely parodied and referenced in popular culture for over a century.