In this production the Rhinemaidens (Sarah Fox, Liora Grodnikaite and Heather Shipp) are completely nude apart from pubic wigs covering their genitals. "They did not have any clothes, but they had little blue 'merkins' - pubic wigs., said Claudia Stolze, the wig and make-up coordinator. "You don't often get to do merkins! The designer went to great lengths to explain his thought processes to the singers, and that it really made sense, so they said it was fine. The maidens are supposed to be children of innocence, and as soon as someone appears they put clothes on to protect their modesty. There is a long tradition of them seeming to be nude. It was an intelligent concept, and if people understand that, then they are usually ready to go along with it. We took precautions to make sure the singers were covered until they went on stage, and the pubic wigs were made on a kind of thong or see-through G-string, so they were kind of wearing something. Their whole bodies were made-up with pearly white make-up too."