An elderly woman often heard telling her children she wished life was more like a musical got to live that dream in Port Moody last month.

Maureen St. Pierre is a "very special, wonderful woman," her daughter Danielle told CTV News. The Coquitlam resident adopted five interracial children in the mid- to late 1960s, at a time when the Civil Rights Act was brand new in the U.S. and tensions were high.

But soon after her fifth adoption, Maureen's husband became abusive, and she left to protect the children. She remarried two years later and gave birth to Danielle.

Maureen spent her working years in the entertainment business, as a producer, director and performer of musical theatre.

"She has always said, 'Wouldn't it be wonderful if life were like a musical?'" Danielle said. When Maureen retired, she became enamored with flashmob videos posted on YouTube.

Wanting to do something special for her mother's 85th birthday, Danielle decided to make Maureen's long-time dream a reality. So Danielle, who has also worked in musical theatre, contacted performers she'd worked with in the past, and some people from a talent competition she runs. She also reached out to a local group of mothers to see if they wanted to help.

Then she chose her sound track: a song from "Hello Dolly," a musical she watched with her mother, and the Village People's "YMCA" because it's one of her mother's favourites.

The family gathered at Rocky Point Park in Point Moody on Maureen's birthday, and Danielle asked her mother to sit down for a photo. Instead of snapping the picture, Danielle's husband started filming.

The video, which was posted on YouTube over the weekend and has been viewed more than 1,000 times, shows Maureen smiling, then looking surprised when a person in the park started singing "Put on Your Sunday Clothes."

Maureen smiles as the singer continues, but Danielle said she didn't realize it was set up for her until the singer said her name. When he starts singing, "Listen, Maureen," the grandmother looks at her daughter then covers her face with both hands. When she moves her hands, there are tears in her eyes.

With a huge smile, Maureen continues to tear up as more people from the park join in the song and dance. Toward the end of the song, a dancer grabs Maureen's hand and pulls her to her feet, then the other dancers form a circle around her.

As the song ends, they transition into a recording of "YMCA" and her family joins in. Maureen dances to the chorus, but takes breaks to turn in a circle on the spot, smiling, laughing, crying, and taking the entire experience in.

"She has said repeatedly that it was the best birthday she has ever had, and the best experience of her life," Danielle said.

With files from CTV Vancouver's Alex Turner