Featuring the stage debuts of comedy legends – Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, Victor Garber, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas, and Jayne Eastwood plus musical director Paul Shaffer
On June 1, 1972, a humble production of a hit musical retelling of the Book of Matthew officially opened its run at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in downtown Toronto. As for what happened next, that may be most accurately expressed by the subtitle for Nick Davis’ celebratory documentary, You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution, Spread Love & Overalls, and Created a Community That Changed the World (In a Canadian Kind of Way).
And that’s no empty boast about a bunch of singing hippies. Based solely on the bright futures of so many of the talents who formed the cast during the 14-month run — Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, Victor Garber, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas, and Jayne Eastwood plus musical director Paul Shaffer — Godspell’s impact and influence cannot be overstated. The improvisational element of the musical itself helped foster a unique sensibility that comedy fans would soon recognize in Saturday Night Live, SCTV, and countless other TV shows and movies.
As Davis’ film reveals, the Toronto Godspell was a hugely formative experience in the lives of the participants, too. With its deft mix of engaging interviews with surviving participants, animated recreations, and other means of compensating for the scarcity of original archival materials (if only audience members had smartphones in 1972), You Had to Be There brings this special time back into the present with an irrepressible sense of joy. – JASON ANDERSON
The niftiness of Davis’s film is that it’s about Godspell, and it’s about something bigger than Godspell — a pop movement that didn’t have a name yet, a cultural spirit that found its way into existence almost like (laughing) gas gathering in the air. – Variety
The most incredible thing about You Had to Be There is that this film makes you feel like you were there, and these friends are your friends too. – Mashable
Getting an insight into how people like Martin Short and Eugene Levy started their careers off, and seeing the camaraderie of what this experience was like for this group makes this a heartwarming documentary for any comedy fan. – Collider