YOU HAD TO BE THERE
Starring: Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Victor Garber, Jayne Eastwood, Paul Shaffer, Andrea Martin, Stephen Schwartz, Avril Chown, Valda Aviks, Rudy Webb, Don Scardino, and Dave Thomas
Director: Nick Davis
NICK
The Toronto production of Godspell was before my time, but You Had to Be There… (the full title would take up my whole review) hammers home just how vital it was to comedy today. The butterfly effect of this single production is something to behold, but the true strength of this documentary is the cast. It’s not just hearing the reflections of their time together, but seeing the genuine family that came out of this one job. You can’t help but feel the love and gratitude that everyone shares, and it makes for one of the more feel-good films of TIFF.
ROBERT
I think the last year has taught me, more than anything, that you can never have too many Martin Short documentaries. From Marty, Life is Short, I was made aware of the importance of the Toronto company’s rendition of Godspell, but not until You Had to Be There… was it galvanized for me about its place in comedy history. I wasn’t as much a fan of The Electric Company-like animated interstitials, but the interviews and the stories with the cast, along with the dingy recordings from the shows, made it as lively as if they showed a performance in full. Send in the Jesus clowns!
This film was reviewed by Nick as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.