The musical is based on Molière's Le Cocu Imaginaire. Set in the 1940s, the play parodies wartime musical movies of that era, with characters based on film stars of that era. Snaveley T. Bogle, based on W. C. Fields, is married to Faye (based on Mae West). Ray Bagalucci (based on Jimmy Durante) has a daughter Anna (based on Rita Hayworth). She is involved with Danny O'Reilly (based on Gene Kelly). The sailors Willoughby and Skip, reminiscent of Abbott and Costello, most notably perform a version of the famous "Who's on First" routine.
A Saint She Ain't opened April 21, 1999, at King's Head Theatre in London, in association with Patricia MacNaughton. It was directed by Ned Sherrin, designed by Patrick Connellan, choreographed by Lindsay Dolan, and the musical directing was done by Chris Walker and Denis King. The King's Head Theatre is a dinner theatre, with a small stage and smaller dressing rooms, which director Ned Sherrin cites as the primary reason for the show's transferral. A Saint She Ain't transferred to the West End after a successful six week run.
A Saint She Ain't opened at the Apollo Theatre on September 22, 1999. It was performed by the same cast, except for the parts of Trudy McCloy and one of the Andrew's sisters, which were both performed by new addition, Corinna Powelsland. The first preview at the Apollo was September 16, and the show closed January 15, 2000. It was from this performance that the 1999 cast album was recorded.
" These unsacred cows have been milked too many times to yield much that is potable, let alone palatable, however skilled the hands working the udders." - John Simon, New York Magazine