Teenage stage star Rikki Burne has a different leading lady every night.

Producers of My Fair Lady could not decide on one girl to take the leading role of Eliza so they decided to have five instead.

It means 15-year-old Rikki, who plays Professor Higgins in the Oathall Community College production of the musical, has had to do five times as many rehearsals.

He said: "I thought it would be cool to be in the play. I never thought I would get the part.

"When I heard there were going to be five Elizas, I shivered. It is quite a daunting prospect but I have got to do it on five different nights in five different styles of acting.

"It has been a lot of hard work. It consumes all my time and it has been very difficult. But having a different girl every night has been really good."

Rikki said he had enjoyed working with the different girls but he had to go through each scene five times in a row.

The Haywards Heath-based college held auditions during the summer. They got the number for the female lead down to five but they found it too tough picking just one girl to play flower girl Eliza.

All five Elizas were resplendent in their pink, black and white lacy costumes and feathered hats as they prepared for the final rehearsal and were looking forward to their big night on stage.

Lianne Carter, 15, who plays the Cockney beauty on Friday, said: "It is fantastic to play her. I think it is the best role a girl can have."

Jess Lusk, 16, who opened the show last night, said: "It is nice because we are all from the same group of friends."

Michelle Phillips said: "It is really good. I didn't think it would work at first but it has been really good and there has been no bitchiness."

Four out of five are from the same tutor group and during rehearsals they have relied on each other for help.

Lynne Fever, 15, who takes on the role on Saturday, said: "I have to live up to the people before me but we all work as a team. We originally said it as a joke that we could have one Eliza for each night."

Natasha Lawley, 15, who is preparing for her role tomorrow, said: "Yes, we all learn from each other."

All the young actors and actresses had been working hard for their roles in the show, which they hope will be a more modern take on the classic musical, which is also showing in London's West End.

They have been busy taking last-minute instructions from the director and head of drama, Helen Simmons.

She said: "It's our own version of it. We wanted to try to make the characters more accessible by making them younger, especially Professor Higgins, and by making them much more humorous."

Tickets for tomorrow, Friday and Saturday have already sold out and the rest were selling fast.

Maths teacher Helen Toole hopes the show will be a resounding success.

She said: "It has been great getting to know the kids without being in the classroom."