Toweringly high heels are a great advantage on stage, in that those expanses of lower limb to be unleashed upon an unsuspecting public are displayed to their best advantage. They also help interestingly in the intimidation of tenors, I find. However in long rehearsal periods (up to four hours each morning and evening, with the normal minutiae of life not ceasing in between), they can be hellish. In this staging I am standing for all but a minute of my time on stage, and my feet are currently aching like nobody's business. How anyone working in a retail environment can wear anything but the flattest of shoes to work, I have no idea - and I feel nothing but admiration for those who insist that high heels are a basic requirement for life...

I have to admit though that I'm looking forward to getting rid of these rehearsal shoes - on top of being so steep, and clashing horribly with my rehearsal dress, they're also a little too big, and although they're loosely held in place by elastic bands, I feel like a small girl taking precarious steps in her mother's shoes! Bring on the performance stilettos, even though the costume director got a distinct glint in his eye when asking whether I could wear them... this high?... this high?... higher?... good!