Shiva on Broadway

Shiva on Broadway (2002)

From Wikipedia:

Shiva is the third form of God as the Destroyer, one of the Trimurti (popularly called the "Hindu trinity"). In the Trimurti, Shiva is the destroyer, while Brahma and Vishnu are creator and preserver, respectively. However, even though He represents destruction, He is viewed as a positive force (The Destroyer of Evil), since creation follows destruction. Worshippers of Shiva are called Shaivaites. For Shaivaites, however, Shiva is the only Ultimate Reality (see Ishta-Deva for fuller discussion).

Shiva is not limited to the personal characteristics he is given in many images and can transcend all attributes. Hence, Shiva is often worshipped in an abstract manner, as God without form, in the form of linga. This view is similar in some ways to the view of God in Semitic religions such as Islam or Judaism, which hold that God has no personal characteristics. Hindus, on the other hand, believe that God can transcend all personal characteristics yet can also have personal characteristics for the grace of the embodied human devotee. Personal characteristics are a way for the devotee to focus on God.

From an Amazon.com review of Shiva 3000:

In an alternative world where gods are as self-evident as thunderstorms and as destructive as tornadoes, a Baboon Warrior surfaces to save India from marauding behemoths; yet a driven Hindu named Rakesh mysteriously wants him dead. In Shiva 3000, Jan Lars Jensen has cooked up an exotic curry of wonders drawing on Hindu mythology and Buddhist meditative practices. From the sensual antics of Kama Sutrans to Zen-like archery, we sail along in an adventure that is a cross between the Ramayana and Jurassic Park.

From Clear Light Seminars:

Shiva, born as Tony Chester, has spent his life exploring Spirituality and Enlightenment.

[...]

His method of teaching involves powerful transmissions of Spiritual Light and Energy.

From juggler/performer Shiva's lefthandbar2:

Shiva's improvised show is both daring and provokative. Anything can happen once it has begun (and it often does)! Oddball characters (including Bruce Lee and Woodie Allen) combined with spontaneous use of situations and locations mean that at one moment there might be a singing number upon a nearby balcony, the next there could be a karate performance taking place.

And from theatermania.com, a description of the play Shiva Arms:

Welcome to the Shiva Arms, a run-down Hollywood apartment building that's home to the most dysfunctional group of tenants in all of Hollywood. Actor/writer Doug Motel portrays 11 colorful residents; from a punk rocker and a "B" movie actress to a crusty 86 year-old retired negative cutter. Based on a true story, Motel's band of misfits takes us on a hilarious and touching spiritual odyssey.

It's no secret that art and advertising devoutly recycle our gods in commercial and theatrical ways. Mourning Becomes Electra. The Buick Electra. Jennifer Garner as Electra. So, why shouldn't Shiva appear on Broadway? Or go seriously sci-fi? Or transmogrify into a juggler or self-help consultant? Or even age well as --

"Aaaarg, matey. Send that bottle me way with one of yer many arms."

So, the show must go on...even if you break a leg...or engage in some extreme gesturing...or, for an encore...

...destroy the world...