Do I see future spotlights?

My two-and-a-half-year-old daughter knows pretty much all the words to the Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat soundtrack.

Consequently, so do I.

I’ve always liked that musical, ever since we performed it at The Stewart School when I was in Grade 6 (thanks, Mrs. McMahon!).

Wallflower that I was, I was in the chorus. I secretly wanted to be a soprano (not the fictional mob family, although that would have been fun, too), but I was an alto. It would have been cool to be one of the dancers because they got to wear sparkly costumes, but that would have also involved being front and centre. Not me.

I digress.

There is someone in our family who doesn’t seem to have any problem being front and centre. You’ll often see Groom-boy singing and dancing on tables in local restaurants.

I’m kidding. I’m referring to Girlchild. From here on in I think I’ll just call her Diva. Maybe Superstar. Haven’t decided.

My long-standing personal affection for the Joseph musical was amplified after seeing the Perth Community Choir’s stellar rendition back when I was pregnant with Boychild. We bought the CD, and before long everyone who lives here, including the cats, grew somewhat familiar with the lyrics.

Not surprisingly, it was a Family Event for us to go and see it when The Stewart School recently put on another grand performance of Joseph.

At last, the kids could put the whole thing into context. It’s the way I feel about Shakespeare: reading the plays in an English class never did it for me. I didn’t really get Shakespeare until I actually saw the plays I was studying.

Am I digressing again? I think so.

Before the show started, Boychild sat fairly quietly with his friends. Diva? Well, she worked the room, wandering amongst the rows, saying "hi" to people.

Then she was up and down the centre aisle chasing girls. She’s seriously girl deprived since we are surrounded by boys, so when she has the chance she likes to stare up at them in complete awe of their girlishness.

Once the show started, Diva was rigid with excitement. We were able to keep her still for a millisecond or two before she was in the centre aisle again, dancing, spinning and clapping and jumping up and down.

Not only was the show fantastic, but the spotlight at the back of the gymnasium was amazing. Its beam of light caught fascinating dust particles just above her head. She kept reaching up on tiptoes to try to touch the sparkles. During the dance numbers, she mirrored the moves.

Everything was nauseatingly cute until she started to run up and down the aisle, which is a tad annoying, so Groom-boy scooped her up and found a sheltered corner near the front where she could dance and clap without being overly disruptive.

Meanwhile, Boychild, her polar opposite, sat still and was mesmerized by everything happening on the stage.

A week or so after the show we bought a copy of the DVD starring Donny Osmond.

Hoo boy.

I think there is some sort of special mechanism in a mama brain that helps us to cope with repeated exposure to certain shows or songs. Either that, or I have just been lucky enough that my kids have never really loved a show that I really hate.

I never gave them a chance to love Barney. I can’t abide Barney. I also think Caillou and Thomas the Tank Engine are whiny brats. I did manage to survive Teletubbies, The Wiggles, Hi-5 and even Doodlebops.

This brain mechanism is a darned good thing because, the last week and a half, I think I have seen Joseph a good 825 times. At least, it seems that way.

And I still like it. Mostly.

I know pretty much all the words now.

And Diva? She stands in the middle of the floor, mirroring the dance moves, waving her arms dramatically in the air and holding those high notes. She has also become a big fan of multi-coloured striped shirts, and you should hear her rhyme off the "many colours."

Do I see spotlights in our future?