GODSPELL Documentary to Hit Theaters This September
The film held its world premiere last year at TIFF.
Greenwich Entertainment has acquired the North American rights for You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution..., the new documentary about the original Toronto production of Godspell.
The documentary had its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and Greenwich will release the film in theaters across the country in September.
Directed by Nick Davis and executive produced by Judd Apatow, the documentary describes how the local production launched the careers of Eugene Levy, Martin Short, Gilda Radner, Victor Garber, Paul Shaffer, Andrea Martin, and Dave Thomas. The film features interviews with many of the original cast members, as well as never-before-seen footage and personal archives. It also features composers Stephen Schwartz and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Also included in the documentary will be audio recordings that Short made of the musical and intimate parties where the cast drank, partied, and perhaps fell in love during intimate gatherings. It delves into the creative scene in Toronto during the musical's run, which included friends of the cast like Catherine O'Hara, Dan Aykroyd, and John Candy. Davis co-wrote the film with Jane Mendelsohn.
The 1972 production was only supposed to run for a couple of weeks, but it extended to over a year and a half due to popularity. Garber landed the role of Jesus in the movie musical adaptation, which brought him to New York for the first time.
Stephen Schwartz's much-loved musical celebrates the life and teachings of Jesus and features the Gospel according to St. Matthew: 1970s style. As Jesus taught with parables and storytelling, Godspell utilizes clowning, pantomime, charades, acrobatics, and vaudeville to tell the story of Christ's passion. Familiar songs include "Day by Day," "Turn Back, O Man" and "Bless the Lord."
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