Author Anne Chambers, who has written extensively on the celebrated 15th century pirate, claimed the show breached a copyright held by her. Chambers sent a solicitor's letter to River Productions, the company behind the musical, threatening legal action.

Following discussions between the two sides, however, River Productions has reached an agreement with the author, who will now be retained by the company as a " historical consultant" on the project.

A spokesman for River Productions said the dispute centred on Chambers' claim that the show plagiarised her work. "That would have been at issue initially but that has been resolved, " he said.

The first performance of the Pirate Queen, with a budget of over $10m ( 8m), is scheduled to take place in Chicago in October.