In 1929, the Student Show moved from the comparatively small-scale Palace Theatre to His Majesty’s Theatre for the first time.
In fact, despite the larger scale of the production, local hardship meant that the 1929 ‘Northern Lights’ was the only event organised in Gala Week that year. Despite this, it managed to raise the sum of £648 for charity.
In 1929 Northern Lights was produced in H.M. Theatre with a bigger production, bigger orchestra- more of everything! Bill Hawkins and I exchanged roles with Bill conducting the orchestra, in which I played my violin while Jimmy Ross on the piano made up the student element in the pit.
Now all these three editions of Northern Lights had used very little original music, relying on well known commercial musical comedy or traditional songs and music etc, adapted for the needs of the particular setting in the Revue. But in the next two Northern Lights we were able to produce music which was original and specially written for the Show and, indeed, with certain numbers specially written for individuals, as they had been in the days of the early University Musical Comedies.
Vernon Eddie, 1958
(This memoir first appeared in the 1958 Student Show souvenir programme)