Film review: You Had to Be There captures the unlikely show that launched a comedy revolution
New documentary uses retro animation and interviews with the likes of Martin Short, Eugene Levy, and Andrea Martin to recall the Toronto Godspell production that first connected future SNL and SCTV stars
You Had to Be There.
Martin Short in You Had to Be There.
You Had to Be There screens at the VIFF Centre from October 16 to 23
IT WASN’T A likely source for what was arguably the most revolutionary era of comedy. But the 1972 Toronto production of Godspell—a musical that reimagined Jesus and his followers as hippie clowns—somehow became a hothouse for the future talents of SCTV and Saturday Night Live.
Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, Paul Shaffer, Andrea Martin, Victor Garber, Jayne Eastwood, and many more converged on the wacky Canadian mounting of Stephen Schwartz and John-Michael Tebelak’s counterculture spin on the Gospel of Matthew. After the shows, the cast would party regularly with names like Dan Aykroyd and John Candy. In his jubilant, Canada-proud documentary—whose full title is 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)—filmmaker Nick Davis throws light on a theatre production that has become a part of show-biz lore.
Unfazed by the fact there’s no remaining film footage of the production that played T.O.’s Royal Alex, Davis instead brings it to life through stories—recounted in interviews by an all-star cast of master wags—and goofily retro animation that looks straight out of 1970s Saturday-morning cartoons.
Along the way, you’ll learn about how Short used to sing old Frank Sinatra songs in his attic growing up, how Radner chose to sing “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” for her audition, and how Levy rebuffed attempts to remove his body hair when he replaced the baby-faced Garber as Jesus in Godspell. Comedy fans will eat up the deep-cut stories around Second City and SNL, but the documentary will also please live-theatre fans with its behind-the-scenes tales.
You Had to Be There offsets the laughs with moving moments. The late Radner is remembered with adoration, while Avril Chown recounts her own struggles in the industry. One of the most enjoyable, sardonic voices is Dave Thomas, who remembers seething with envy while watching his pals take the stage in Godspell. “There go my friends,” he remembers thinking before heading back to his school life at Hamilton’s McMaster University. (Thomas later made it into the show—despite his aversion to dancing.) Among the modern-day comedians reflecting on the impact of the Godspell alumni are Heidi Gardner, Mike Myers, and B.C.-born standup turned writer Kliph Nesteroff.
It’s also poignant watching these septuagenarians regularly reconnect, Shaffer taking to the piano and coaxing his friends into singing Godspell tunes. You Had to Be There reminds us of a time before SNL, before SCTV, and before stardom, when these celebrities were still fresh-faced 20-somethings worried about their next paycheque—and it reminds us, ultimately, how quickly time flies. 
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