Letter from the Editor: History has its eyes on you

The first time our friends Ben and Melissa told my husband and me about the musical “Hamilton,” my judgment was harsh and swift.

“A musical about Alexander Hamilton. Seriously? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Nobody will see it. It won't last past the first intermission.”

Fast forward to February 2017: We paid a lot of money to see “Hamilton” in Chicago (with the very delightful Wayne Brady as Aaron Burr) mostly at my urging.

And just last month, “Hamilton” celebrated the fifth anniversary of its opening at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway.

I kind of missed history there.

Longtime Daily Herald columnist Jack Mabley talks about a similar snap judgment he made about a band that visited Chicago back in 1964.

You may have heard of them. The Beatles.

In this week's piece — originally published in 1996 — Mabley talks about introducing the Beatles at their first Chicago concert in 1964.

He adds that the worst prediction of his career was that the Fab Four would be forgotten in 25 years.

We've all had those moments when news breaks or there's a significant trend: Is this history? Is it something we'll remember? Or am I not paying enough attention?

During the weeks after 9/11, I remember people having varied reactions: My friend from Los Angeles, who was traveling but had her flight grounded at O'Hare, called me to come pick her up. She was shaken, as we all were, and we talked at length about how things would never really be the way they had been again.

On the other hand, there were a few calls I got at work during those first few days from people wondering why there weren't kids' soccer scores in the paper or when we were going to “stop it with all the depressing stories.” (I spoke with these people, and they weren't without empathy. They were in shock.)

It's only now, looking back, I realize what a moment we were living in. I now have a “where I was” story, much like my parents had about the JFK assassination, and my grandparents had about the attack on Pearl Harbor. (It's time to have a “Where I was when I found out Twizzlers are a healthy addition to a balanced diet” story, right?)

We often need time to gain perspective.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, too: How will history look back on this pandemic? I have masks to match my outfits. I didn't see my oldest nephew graduate from high school in person. One of my husband's closest friends had to reschedule his wedding twice — and uninvite people to finally just downsize the ceremony.

Will things ever be normal again, or will there just be a new normal, like after 9/11?

Ironically, “Hamilton” sums it up best: “Let me tell you what I wish I'd known

When I was young and dreamed of glory — You have no control

Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?

(I don't know, but I hope they appreciate my shoe efforts this year, since nobody has been able to see them)

• Melynda has worked at the Daily Herald for more than 20 years and isn't actually as morose as she sounds here.