Interview: You Had to Be There's Nick Davis, Jane Mendelsohn, and Paul Shaffer

For comedy nerds and theatre nerds alike, the original Toronto production of Godspell has lived in infamy: it brought together, for the first time, many of the comedy icons who would go on to form the likes of Saturday Night Live and SCTV. Names like Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, and of course, Gilda Radner. But for decades since its closure, the production has lived on only as a legend. Until now.

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), finally tells the story of this legendary comedy and musical theatre production. Through interviews with the surviving members of the cast and crew, Davis brings us back to the Royal Alexandra Theatre, circa 1972, and unearths an incredible story of homegrown talent ready to explode onto the world’s stage, along with a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes stories and recordings that is sure to thrill comedy and theatre fans alike.

That Shelf’s Adam Schoales had the pleasure of chatting with director Nick Davis, co-writer Jane Mendelsohn, and subject Paul Shaffer (yes, the Paul Shaffer from The Letterman Show) about this piece of Toronto theatre history, its origins, and how Martin Short’s illegal recording of the production gave birth to the film.