It started with a musical about Jesus — and ended up reshaping comedy history.
You Had to Be There traces the 1972 Toronto stage production of Godspell that launched Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, Andrea Martin, Victor Garber, and Paul Shaffer among others, and quietly seeded SCTV and Saturday Night Live. Directed by Nick Davis and executive produced by Judd Apatow, the documentary opens in theaters this September. Watch the trailer below and read on for everything to know about the doc from Greenwich Entertainment.
What it’s about
Godspell, the Stephen Schwartz musical retelling of the gospels, opened at Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theatre on June 1, 1972. Its then-unknown cast — Martin Short, Gilda Radner, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas, and Victor Garber, with Paul Shaffer as musical director — created an immediate hit. That concentration of talent went on to shape modern comedy, feeding directly into Toronto’s Second City scene and, from there, into SCTV and Saturday Night Live.
Who’s interviewed
The film features interviews with all surviving members of the original cast, along with other entertainment figures who speak to the production’s lasting influence. Participants include Short, Levy, Garber, Martin, Shaffer, Thomas, Jayne Eastwood, Valda Aviks, Avril Chown, Don Scardino, and Rudy Webb, along with Godspell composer Stephen Schwartz. Radner, John Candy, and Catherine O’Hara appear via archival footage.
The documentary also draws on later generations of comedy shaped by that era, with interviews featuring Mike Myers, Dan Aykroyd, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Heidi Gardner, James Austin Johnson, Gary Gulman, and Janeane Garofalo.
Behind the camera
Nick Davis directed and produced the film, from a script he co-wrote with Jane Mendelsohn. Judd Apatow serves as executive producer, and Doug Abel edited. Bonnie Comley, Stewart F. Lane, Tom Powers, and Sue Turley also produced alongside Davis. It’s a production of Series of Dreams, Open Door Co., and XRM Media, in association with CBC.
Premiere and theatrical release
You Had to Be There premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 6, 2025, as part of the festival’s Special Presentations program. Greenwich Entertainment opens the film at New York’s Film Forum on Sept. 18, followed by a nationwide theatrical release on September 25, 2026.
Poster
