You Had to Be There

“Joyous!  The 1972 Godspell planted seeds that would grow into a tree of many branches—one branch being SNL, another SCTV, another being comedies like Best in Show.” — Matthew Carey, Deadline

You Had to Be There is a hilarious, emotional, and revelatory documentary about the legendary 1972 Canadian production of Godspell that changed comedy forever. The Toronto production of the musical about the life of Jesus starred a then-unknown cast of future comedy titans including Martin Short, Gilda Radner, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas – with Victor Garber as a hippie Jesus and Paul Shaffer serving as musical director. A crazy confluence of talent, the production lit the spark that ignited the comedy revolution that followed, leading to Saturday Night Live, SCTV, and a host of movies and TV shows.  The film features interviews with all the surviving members of the cast, as well as other show business luminaries who testify to the production’s profound and lasting influence. You Had to Be There also makes use of never-before-seen-or-heard archives from the cast, including rehearsal footage and rare audio recordings of the musical itself, as well as cast parties of the gang hanging out at Marty and Eugene’s apartment late into the night, which shed joyful new light on this magical time and place. (Dir. by Nick Davis, 2025, USA, 98 min., Not Rated)