There are certain cultural touchstones where we can see that things wouldn’t be the same unless these exact people got together at this exact time to create something that would become massively important and change the state of our world. Everything we know would be different if a group of Liverpool boys hadn’t decided to make a band, or if Orson Welles’ plan to make a feature film hadn’t worked out. So much of what makes the entertainment we love wouldn’t exist without perfect timing, plenty of luck, and, of course, a lot of talent. In the documentary You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution…, director Nick Davis astutely makes the point that comedy would’ve never been the same without a Canadian production of Godspell over 50 years ago.
What Is ‘You Had to Be There’ About?
Right away, Davis shows us what made this show so special: in 1972, an insanely talented group of young up-and-comers were all cast in a Toronto production of the hit musical Godspell. Its cast members were Martin Short (in only his second job in entertainment), Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, Paul Shaffer, and Victor Garber, among others. They were kids with ambition and hope that they could make it, and for most of them, they succeeded beyond their wildest imagination.
Davis’ film sets out to argue that without this version of Godspell, we might never have had some of the biggest pieces of comedic entertainment over the last half-century. Without these people meeting at this exact time in history, we almost certainly wouldn’t have SCTV or Saturday Night Live, which would both completely change the comedy landscape as we know it. It might seem like an odd claim that a regional theater presentation of a musical that was hot at the time could change history, but Davis is absolutely right in his assertion that it did.
‘You Had to Be There’ Shows Great Artists at the Beginning of Their Careers
Part of the joy that comes from You Had to Be There is simply getting to watch people that we would come to know as legends trying to make it as ambitious kids. In particular, it’s a blast to see the origins of Martin Short and learn more about how he got started as a kid. Short explains how he used to make his own TV show in his attic, complete with applause used from an old Frank Sinatra record. We get to hear some of these “shows,” as well as the lovely reviews his mom used to leave him, to motivate and help him improve his style. It’s also wonderful to watch this community of future entertainers coming together and growing as artists, creating an unexpected family of sorts. We get glimpses of Martin Short, Dave Thomas, and Eugene Levy working on plays together in college, Victor Garber auditioning for Godspell and being cast immediately, and a young Gilda Radner charming everyone in her path.
Yet while You Had to Be There shows the importance of this Godspell run and how many important people came from this production, it’s also a beautiful exploration of how a life-changing opportunity and moment in time can bond you entirely with complete strangers. Decades later, this cast still feels like family, as we watch them reunite and talk about how many times they’ve gotten together since the ’70s. This show and this cast were clearly an integral part of who these people became, latching onto them at such a young age.
‘You Had to Be There’s Format Works For the Story Being Told
Director Nick Davis has the unusual challenge of making a documentary about an impactful moment in comedy history where…there’s barely any footage from the 1972 show. Because of that, You Had to Be There does rely quite a bit on interviews, yet since it’s interviews with some of the most dynamic and funny comedians in the business, it’s hard to be mad about the fairly direct style of the film. Davis also fills in the blanks with some great period-appropriate animation that recreates major moments, and finds archival footage of the other work these actors did around the time of this Godspell show. Near the end of the film, when we are finally shown some of the only footage taken from the show, Davis has done such an excellent job of telling this story that you almost don’t even realize you haven’t seen any of the actual show until that very moment.
However, one of the film’s flaws is that it wants to focus so much on the people who did make it big, and less so on the people who struggled after the show. We only get bits and pieces of the people who didn’t become huge stars, even though what we do see clearly shows they have their own major stories to tell. It’s understandable why You Had to Be There makes this choice, as it wants to focus on the positive, cheerful nature of this show, and not on the negatives, but it does feel like the film is trying to shift away from anything that could be perceived as a bummer. It also does this with Short, who begins to open up about the loss of his parents, and later, the loss of his wife, but the film quickly shifts away from that to focus more on Godspell and the good times.
It’s also a bit odd how Davis only gives us quick bits of interviews from other major comedy figures who talk about the importance of Godspell. People like Janene Garofalo, Heidi Gardner, Mike Myers, and Lin-Manuel Miranda were all interviewed for this documentary, but their segments only exist to seemingly mention how funny these people are and how important this version of Godspell was to comedy history.
Yet for what it is, You Had to Be There is a lot of fun, a great opportunity to see the origins of some brilliant comedic minds, as they teamed up to find success in show business. Getting an insight into how people like Short and Levy started their careers off, and seeing the camaraderie of what this experience was like for this group, and how they still celebrate it to this day, makes this a heartwarming documentary for any comedy fan.
You Had to Be There had its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.
You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution…
You Had to Be There is a charming documentary about how some of the biggest names in comedy got their start.
7 10
Nick Davis’ high-spirited documentary reveals how a humble Toronto run of the hippie musical Godspell became an historic incubator for modern comedy.
Expand Collapse Pros & Cons The interviews, particularly with Martin Short, are absolutely delightful. Nick Davis’ film never feels overwhelmed by the lack of footage that actually exists of this Godspell show. The friendships that grew out of this show are truly heartwarming. Davis maybe should’ve spent a bit more time with the members of this cast that didn’t make it big. As a documentary, it does feel like fairly standard fare.
