One hundred years ago (approximately when I last blogged),
or 12 years ago, Charles and I went out for a drink prior to seeing Joseph
and the Technicolour Dreamcoat.

He was acting very oddly that night. First, he dragged me
up to Gaddi’s, at the top of the Peninsula Hotel, surveyed the room (where he
had been several times already) and declared that he wanted somewhere with more
ambience.

Ambience? What has more ambience than a place where the
men’s urinals are clear and face the floor to ceiling window of the hotel?

Our next stop was the Pen’s next door neighbour, the
Sheraton Hong Kong. We went up to their top floor wine bar, and my magnificent
looked around, again approved of the view but felt that the ambience wasn’t
quite what he was hoping for.

Next stop, across the street to the then The Regent. Not the
top floor, to the lounge, where the piano player was tinkling out lovely
sounds, not singing, and the view was delightful. We sat down, ordered drinks,
and Charles got up, vanished, and a few minutes after he sat down, the piano
player began playing, “Send in the Clowns”, a Frank Sinatra song I particularly
like.

And then Charles got to one knee and proposed. (With
hindsight, I now know why people tend to get married before they turn 40…it’s
that whole getting up and down from that knee position!) People clapped, advice
was given, the ring was admired (as it is to this day), and off to Joseph we
went. Click here for details and pictures of that day.

Joseph. The happiest musical for one of the happiest nights
of my life.

Fast forward 11 years later, and the year six students
performed Joseph for their end of year production. It was really fantastic.

Jasper and the girls were enchanted. For two days straight
we watched the musical on you tube, in 14 little clips. We watched other school
productions, and agreed that Kennedy was just as good as any American High
School!

And then on Saturday I braved the teaming rain, (all right,
I was downtown with a girls lunch anyway) and sloshed away to HMV and there it
was…the movie DVD version. Not, unfortunately starring Jason Donovan, but Donny
Osmond. It’s okay, and the kids are thrilled. Jasper in particular. He has
figured out how to use my IPOD and stands by the docking station, listening to
the Joseph songs, fast forwarding to his favourites. And replaying.

It is very bizarre, and entertaining to be back in the
future like this. Seeing my kids love something I loved, something I didn’t
even have to pressure/manipulate with sweeties them to enjoy. Joseph is their
choice, and they love it! Jasper was devastated the other night when he had two
friends sleep over. He suggested that they watch Joseph, and the two boys
wanted to watch Transformers instead. It was hilarious.

Joseph is incredibly special to me. That proposal, that
night, that happy music. I will remember that night always, I hope. And to now
see my children trying to get the lines and music right, and loving it as well,
is a wonderful thing. Seeing Jasper walking around with a dishcloth around his
waist, a la Donny Osmond, is very cute, and yes, he has already asked for a
coat of many colours for Christmas. I replied that the coat was for the
favourite child, and he said, “I know”.

Love it, love them.