by Alex Billington
July 22, 2026
Source: YouTube
“It was smart. And it was dumb. It was smart & dumb.” Greenwich Entertainment has revealed an official trailer for the documentary titled You Had to Be There, retelling the story of an iconic run of the theater musical “Godspell” in 1972. This obviously premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last year, considering it’s all about Toronto, and it opens in the US in limited theaters this fall. From director Nick Davis, the 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). 🇨🇦 A doc film about the legendary 1972 Toronto production of the musical about the life of Jesus (known as Godspell – which originated Off-Broadway in 1971), which launched many illustrious careers and ignited a comedy revolution (visualized with the tree animation from the trailer). Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, Victor Garber, Paul Shaffer, and other comedy and theater icons got their start in a 1972 Toronto production of the musical Godspell. Featuring interviews with surviving cast members, plus Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mike Myers, and more, the film recounts a pivotal moment in comedy history. Exec produced by Judd Apatow and others. This looks like a must watch doc for comedy lovers everywhere.
Here’s the official trailer (+ poster) for Nick Davis’ doc film You Had to Be There, direct from YouTube:
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). Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, Victor Garber, Paul Shaffer, and other entertainment icons got their start in a 1972 Toronto production of the musical Godspell. Featuring interviews with the surviving cast members, other luminaries like Lin-Manuel Miranda, Mike Myers, and many more, the film recounts a pivotal moment in comedy history, in hilarious, moving, and inspiring detail. You Had to Be There is a documentary directed by NYC native filmmaker Nick Davis, director of the films Jack: The Last Kennedy Film, 1999, New York at the Movies, Leaving Tracks, and Once Upon a Time in Queens previously, and other projects. Produced by Bonnie Comley, Nick Davis, Stewart F. Lane, Tom Powers, and Sue Turley. This initially premiered at the 2025 Toronto Film Festival last year and played at this year’s Chicago Critics Film Festival. Greenwich Ent. debuts You Had to Be There in select US theaters (first in NY) starting September 18th, 2026 coming up.
