Cambridge Circus (place)

Cambridge Circus is the name given to the intersection of the Charing Cross Road with Shaftesbury Avenue, in Westminster, London. Also fanning out from very nearly the same place are West Street, Earlham Street, Romilly Street, Moor Street and Old Compton Street. On the corner of Shaftesbury Avenue, on the south side, is a fire station, with Chinatown behind it. Working clockwise, we find the Palace Theatre. The theatre is a magnificent red-brick building with yellow stone details, built in 1891. Les Miserables has been running there since 1985. Down Moor Street and into Old Compton Street one can see the bright lights of Soho, including a branch of Ed's diner, and the Prince Edward Theatre. Then, on the corner of the Charing Cross Road, facing north, we find the Cambridge pub. Oxford Street and St Giles' Circus lie far to the north. A branch of All Bar One used to be there, but may have closed down, on the next corner. Shaftesbury Avenue leads north-east toward New Oxford Street and the British Museum. Earlham Street follows directly, leading to Seven Dials and Covent Garden. There are often stalls set up along the side of Earlham Street. West Street curves out of sight behind the Pizza Hut at the next corner with the Charing Cross Road, but ultimately leads to classier dining at the Ivy. The Charing Cross Road leads south to Charing Cross and Trafalgar Square.

Cambridge Circus was also the name of a musical revue from, er, Cambridge, starring (originally) John Cleese, Tim Brooke-Taylor, Anthony Buffery, David Hatch, Jo Kendall, Bill Oddie and Chris Stuart-Clark, and written by Bill Oddie and Hugh McDonald, back in 1963. I haven't been able to find out much about it, but a fair number of those just named went on to Great Things.