You Had to Be There
Written by Taryn Crankshaw
Warning: This review is for You Had to Be There, which is a film presented at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival. There may be slight spoilers present. Reader discretion is advised.
Image courtesy of the Toronto International film Festival.
In 1971, Jesus Christ was the hottest name in the New York theatre scene. Seriously. Between Andrew Lloyd Webber’s rock opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Stephen Schwartz’s quirky off-Broadway musical, Godspell, the Messiah was amassing both amens and applause. Given their subject matter and bold interpretations, the shows received their share of controversies, but that didn’t stop them from spreading their gospel far and wide. After setting up productions in Melbourne and London, lyricist Schwartz and bookwriter, John-Michael Tebelak, brought Godspell to the Great White North. What happened next was nothing short of a miracle.
In Nick Davis’ new 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), attempts to unpack the historical production that launched the careers of Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, Andrea Martin, Victor Garbor and Paul Shaffer. Packed with interviews from the former cast members turned comedy legends, Davis’ central figure is Short. From a Frank Sinatra obsessed Hamiltonian tween to a twenty year old navigating life after the loss of his parents, Short is the film’s throughline. In particular, Levy, Martin and Canadian icon Jayne Eastwood also deliver on their talking heads, spilling behind the scenes tea in such great detail, it’s as if it happened yesterday.
One of the glaring issues plaguing the doc is the fact that despite its renown, there’s almost no archival footage of Toronto's Godspell, minus some rehearsal footage and one performance which Short illegally but thankfully recorded. Davis makes up for it by dramatizing everything from the casting process to the cast becoming Toronto celebs, through the use of retro-style animation. Is it an effective tool? Yes, but it also becomes repetitive. From wild cast parties to showmances, much of the doc is the stuff that theatre kids dreams are made of. But not all that glitters is gold. The doc eventually takes a darker turn, especially when it delves into life post-Godspell. In particular, Avril Chown’s storyline is equal parts heartbreaking and infuriating, a horrifying tale of the realities of being a female in show business. Then there’s Radner, whose absence still packs an emotional punch, thirty-six years after her untimely death.
With cameos from Lin-Manuel Miranda and Mike Meyers, you really feel the weight of how this weird and eccentric retelling of the Gospel of Matthew was lightening in a bottle. Davis does briefly touch on the ripple effects that Godspell had on the Canadian comedy scene, including Second City and SCTV. Despite its importance, not enough time is spent on this part of the production’s lore. In addition, the conversation around the Canadian entertainment industry always appearing to play second fiddle to America’s, also doesn’t get enough screentime. It talked about it but without really getting into the weeds.
Early on in the film, Short refers to the doc, as a “dumb idea”. And he’s not wrong. How could one possibly capture that kind of magic? In ninety-eight minutes, none the less. But then there’s the final scene: A reunion with all of the living cast members. Between laughs, tears, drinks and songs, this is the moment the doc is at its strongest, when everyone is in the same room. So, no, unlike, the title suggests, you didn’t need to be there at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in 1972, to understand it. Because the magic (sorry, Marty!) is still alive and well. And as the credits roll you can’t help but ask: Could this juggernaut really just be chalked up to good casting? Perhaps dumb luck? Or dare, one suggests, divine intervention? It is called Godspell, after all.
Taryn Crankshaw is an actress and writer from Toronto, Canada. In 2023, her screenplay, "Big Day" reached the Top 15% of all Academy Nicholls Fellowship entries and was named Grand Prize Winner of the Hamilton Film Festival's Screenplay Competition (2022). In addition, she is also a graduate of the McMaster University's Film and Theatre Studies program, Second City Conservatory, and currently works for the Toronto International Film Festival.