That proverb about mighty oaks growing from tiny acorns came to mind after watching the new documentary You Had to Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution, which takes a deep dive into the 1972 Toronto production of the popular, whimsical musical Godspell. Although Godspell was inspired by the Christian scriptures, this specific run launched the secular, storied performing careers of Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, Andrea Martin, Victor Garber, and Dave Thomas, as well as musician and bandleader Paul Shaffer. It also proved significant in developing and casting the legendary sketch comedy TV programs Saturday Night Live (SNL) and Second City Television (SCTV), and influenced others that followed.
Recent documentaries about Short (Netflix’s Marty, Life Is Short) and his fellow SCTV trouper John Candy (Amazon’s John Candy: I Like Me) have examined their careers and personal lives, and Netflix is planning to release SCTV: The Greatest Show You’ve Never Heard Of, a detailed look at the series itself, on Oct. 30. But You Had to Be There, directed by Nick Davis, goes back to the beginning for an intimate look at how eventual SCTV bastions Short, Levy, Martin, and Thomas came together with Radner, who would become an adorably silly stalwart of the Not Ready for Prime Time Players for SNL’s first five seasons.
Although precious little film or video of the actual stage show is available, You Had to Be There offers archival interviews and recent footage of mainstays, including the SCTV gang, acclaimed stage, film, and TV actor Garber, and former SNL keyboardist and Late Show with David Letterman sidekick Shaffer. Broadway composer and performer Lin-Manuel Miranda, SNL alumni Mike Myers and Heidi Gardner, and actress Janeane Garofalo also weigh in on the cultural impact of the Toronto company.
A number of animated vignettes, done in a quasi-psychedelic late ’60s/early ’70s style reminiscent of Peter Max’s designs, act as interstitials and visual accompaniment to vintage audio clips, including Short’s surreptitious cassette recording of one of the Godspell performances. Radner, whose untimely passing in 1989 at the age of 42 was a genuine heartbreak to colleagues and fans, is lovingly eulogized, especially by Short, her boyfriend during their time in Godspell.
You Had to Be There wraps up with scenes from a jubilant reunion that brought together many surviving cast members and show composer Stephen Schwartz for a post-50th anniversary soiree last year. In addition to cake, wine, and general conviviality, the party featured celebrants singing some of the musical’s best-loved songs such as “Day By Day” and “Prepare Ye (The Way of the Lord),” accompanied by Shaffer on piano. All religious persuasions aside, it’s truly uplifting to witness.
You Had to Be There is currently playing at select Bay Area theaters.
SNL stays the course
Meanwhile, the venerable Saturday Night Live, which has spawned generations of comedy stars from its ever-changing ensemble, keeps on chugging. SNL kicked off its 52nd season this past weekend with an episode hosted by a professional basketball player — one with a specific connection to the city where the show has always been produced: New York. The guy up front was Jalen Brunson, the starting point guard for the 2026 NBA champion New York Knicks, who joined the list of over 600 movie and TV actors, stand-up comics, pop musicians, politicians, or pro athletes that have been guest hosts at least once since SNL premiered on Oct. 11, 1975.
As likeable as he is, Brunson is not an accomplished comedian or improviser, so it was up to the latest edition of the show’s cast to carry the load, and as usual, it was a mix of hits and misses. A “Dream Academy” skit spotlighting SNL’s current female performers — Ashley Padilla, Sarah Sherman, Veronika Slowikowska, Jane Wickline, Grace Reiter, and Saidah Belo-Osagie — was an absolute high point. Rather than enumerate the low point, it should suffice to say that the “Weekend Update” news segment with coanchors Colin Jost and Michael Che had a few incisive moments, but they seemed rather tame in comparison to the new SNL on the global scene.
It might be more accurate to call Saturday Night Live U.K. the latest version to come along. Due to SNL’s success and longevity, TV channels in other countries have recreated the format, sometimes with the approval of the original’s creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels. Adaptations have aired in Brazil, Germany, Spain, South Korea, Japan, Russia, Canada, Finland, France, Italy, Poland, Egypt, and China. Most of the international versions ran for a limited number of episodes or seasons then folded up shop. For the past few years, the only one still on the air was SNL Korea, which just completed its 17th season in May.
Live from London, the gloves are off
This past March, SNL U.K. joined the fray, beginning an eight-episode first season run Saturdays on Sky Channel and made available to American audiences the next day on the Peacock streaming service. It premiered with SNL icon Tina Fey as the first guest host, boasted some celebrity cameos (Graham Norton, Michael Cera, Regé-Jean Page, et al.), and introduced an extraordinarily talented and charismatic group of British comedians, actors, and writers (and one Scotsman), any of them as good or better than their U.S. counterparts. Subsequent hosts during Season One included Jamie Dornan, Hannah Waddingham, Riz Ahmed, and Ncuti Gatwa with musical acts such as Foo Fighters, Wet Leg, Wolf Alice, and Kasabian.
Although produced by Michaels and utilizing a similar studio set-up to the flagship series, SNL U.K. has been given creative freedom to push the envelope of taste and propriety as far as needed or desired with none of the language constraints of a broadcast network. That explains why the British version of “Weekend Update,” hosted by stand-ups Ania Magliano and Paddy Young, is considerably more daring than its U.S. equivalent. Needless to say, no mercy is shown to the royal family, let alone prime ministers, presidents, or flat-out dictators. The U.K.-specific references may bewilder some stateside viewers, but the popularity of the series and its cast on YouTube and social media suggests that it’s clicking with many. In fact, acclaim for that initial set of episodes led to the series being renewed for an expanded second season that began three weeks ago with Jeff Goldblum hosting.
Since SNL U.K. started, it’s developed its own distinct character with standout work from its players. Larry Dean and Emma Sidi have scored points as a privileged, oblivious King Charles III and a chilly Queen Camilla faced with the return of needy prodigal son Harry and daughter-in-law Meghan, played by Jack Shep and Ayoade Bamgboye. A bit about a tourist attraction called “The Paddington Bear Experience” was a killer, and a vignette with a group of obnoxious upper-crust people encountering one another on a street corner was just as good. And “An Italian Plumber with Princess Problems” — featuring the brilliant George Fouracres as video game hero Mario, trapped in a marriage gone sour with his one-time lady love Princess Peach, played by guest host Aimee Lou Wood — was an instant classic. Discussing the Mario-Peach sketch, Fouracres revealed that the director told him and Wood to perform it as if it was an Arthur Miller play. Genius!
Season 2 of Saturday Night Live U.K. streams on Peacock on Sundays through Oct. 25.
