You Had To Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution, Spread Love and Overalls, and Created a Community That Changed the World
Nov 2026 · Broad Book Press
Ebook
210
Pages
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infoThis book will become available on November 17, 2026. You will not be charged until it is released.
About this ebook
In 1972, a little-known Toronto production of Godspell brought together an extraordinary collection of young performers who would go on to transform comedy, theatre, television, and popular culture.
Martin Short. Gilda Radner. Eugene Levy. Andrea Martin. Victor Garber. Paul Shaffer.
Long before they became household names, they shared a stage, experimented with new ideas, forged lasting friendships, and discovered the power of creative collaboration.
You Had to Be There tells the remarkable story of the production that became far more than a musical. It was a launching pad for some of North America's most influential entertainers, a catalyst for the rise of modern sketch comedy, and the center of a community that valued creativity, generosity, and connection.
Through interviews, archival research, and firsthand accounts, this engaging cultural history traces how one Toronto theatre production helped shape the future of Saturday Night Live, SCTV, Broadway, film, television, and comedy itself.
At its heart, this is a story about talent, timing, friendship, and the uniquely Canadian spirit that turned a group of aspiring performers into a creative force whose impact continues to be felt around the world.
Martin Short. Gilda Radner. Eugene Levy. Andrea Martin. Victor Garber. Paul Shaffer.
Long before they became household names, they shared a stage, experimented with new ideas, forged lasting friendships, and discovered the power of creative collaboration.
You Had to Be There tells the remarkable story of the production that became far more than a musical. It was a launching pad for some of North America's most influential entertainers, a catalyst for the rise of modern sketch comedy, and the center of a community that valued creativity, generosity, and connection.
Through interviews, archival research, and firsthand accounts, this engaging cultural history traces how one Toronto theatre production helped shape the future of Saturday Night Live, SCTV, Broadway, film, television, and comedy itself.
At its heart, this is a story about talent, timing, friendship, and the uniquely Canadian spirit that turned a group of aspiring performers into a creative force whose impact continues to be felt around the world.
In 1972, a little-known Toronto production of Godspell brought together an extraordinary collection of young performers who would go on to transform comedy, theatre, television, and popular culture.
Martin Short. Gilda Radner. Eugene Levy. Andrea Martin. Victor Garber. Paul Shaffer.
Long before...
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About the author
Jane Mendelsohn is an international and New York Times best-selling author. She is also a screenwriter and producer. Born and raised in New York City, Jane is a graduate of Yale, where she was a Connecticut Student Poet. After attending Yale Law School for a year and a half, she left to pursue writing. She began publishing book reviews in the Village Voice in 1990. Since then, her pieces have appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Republic, The Yale Review, Lit Hub, and the London Review of Books. Her first novel, I Was Amelia Earhart, was published by Knopf to widespread critical acclaim. It became an international bestseller, was translated into many languages, was short-listed for the Orange Prize, and long-listed for the Dublin Literary Award. In addition to screenplays and theater scripts, she is also the author of the novels Innocence, American Music, and Burning Down the House. Her work has been adapted for both stage and screen. After years of working informally on each other's projects, Jane and Nick formed Series of Dreams in 2025. She lives in New York City with her husband and daughters. Stewart F. Lane is a six-time Tony-Award-winning producer for A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, War Horse, Jay Johnson: The Two & Only, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Will Rogers Follies, and La Cage Aux Folles, as well as a 10-time nominee for the Broadway productions of The Lost Boys, Gore Vidal's The Best Man, The Merchant of Venice starring Al Pacino, Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps, Sunday in the Park with George (revival), Fiddler on the Roof (revival) starring Alfred Molina, Gypsy (revival) starring Bernadette Peters, 1776 (revival), The Goodbye Girl starring Martin Short, and Woman of the Year starring Lauren Bacall. He has been nominated for and received numerous other industry awards including four Drama Desk Awards, a Drama Critics Circle Award, Outer Circle Critics Award, and a Drama League Award. Mr. Lane is President and Chief Executive Officer of Stellar Productions International, Inc. and Stewart F. Lane Productions, Inc. Mr. Lane is co-owner of the legendary Palace Theatre on Broadway with the Nederlander Organization and a partner in the Tribeca Grill with Robert De Niro. He is also the co-founder of BroadwayHD. Lane is the author of Let's Put on a Show, Second Edition (Broad Book Press 2026), It Happened at the Palace: A History of New York's Iconic Broadway Theatre (Broad Book Press 2024), and Jews on Broadway. Mr. Lane is on the Board of Trustees of The Actor's Fund of America, the Board of Advisors for The American Theater Wing, and a former member of the Board of Governors of The Broadway League. He has created scholarship funds at Columbia University Business Graduate School, and Boston University College of Fine Arts Undergraduate School, (B.F.A) as well as provided major support to the University of Massachusetts, Emerson College, and Fiorello H. La Guardia High School for the Performing Arts. Mr. Lane is a graduate of the Boston University College of Fine Arts. He resides with his wife in New York City. For more, please visit www.mrbroadway.com. Nick Davis is a filmmaker and writer. He is the director and producer of the documentary that inspired You Had to Be There. His latest documentary, This Ordinary Thing, is a film that explores the heroism of the non-Jewish Europeans who helped hide Jews during the Holocaust and features performances by Helen Mirren, F. Murray Abraham, Ellen Burstyn, Carrie Coon, Jeremy Irons, and many more. He also produced and directed Once Upon a Time in Queens for ESPN's "30 for 30" series. He executive produced the Emmy-Award winning The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox for Netflix.
Jane Mendelsohn is an international and New York Times best-selling author. She is also a screenwriter and producer. Born and raised in New York City, Jane is a graduate of Yale, where she was a Connecticut Student Poet. After attending Yale Law School for a year and a half, she left to pursue wr...
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