Boulder Jewish Film Festival: You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution

You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution

Documentary/98 minutes/In English/2025

Directed by Nick Davis

Grace Gamm Theater

In 1972, Gilda Radner, Eugene Levy and Martin Short were among a group of unknown performers who were serendipitously cast in the Toronto production of a far-out hippie musical about Jesus. Not only were these cast members about to become major comedy stars, but comedy itself was about to be radically transformed by Second City and Saturday Night Live, which tickled the fancy of young audiences eager for a new, outrageous, improvisational style of humor. A delightful documentary about comedy, “You Had to Be There” also explores the cultural phenomenon of “Godspell,” with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, featuring Jesus as a clown and his disciples as flower children, with no real plot and a script drawn almost exclusively from the Book of Matthew. The clever cavorting, miming, and antics of the very funny people cast in the oddball musical made it a surprise hit. Come prepared to laugh as we open a comedy time capsule sealed for more than fifty years.

Sunday, November 1 | 6:30 pm | $18 per ticket