If you’re looking to get a taste of nature in New York City, the East Village seems like an unlikely place to find it. But this call to nature is being heard at La MaMa, which kicked off its biennial Puppet Series this week with Crane: on earth, in sky. This world premiere piece, by Heather Henson of IBEX Puppetry and Ty Defoe, is a beautiful and evocative ode to the Earth.

Crane: on earth, in sky is a wordless theatrical experience that shares the parallel journeys of cranes and North American Indigenous People, celebrating their stories while also highlighting their struggles in an increasingly industrialized world. This loosely-structured, devised piece combines puppetry and Native American performance and ritual, eschewing Western theater traditions in favor of an authentic Native voice. The communal spirit of the piece also encourages interaction, with audience members invited to visit tables centered around different natural crafts and traditions before the show.

The piece’s primary focus is on these Native American traditions, with Indigenous music, dance, and ritual all performed beautifully by the largely Native American cast. The traditions feel rooted both spiritually and in the Earth, giving the piece a transcendent element while allying the Indigenous People with the titular crane and the production's natural backdrop. Though co-creator Heather Henson is not of Indigenous descent, the collaboratively devised piece is not—as described by Defoe in a post-show speech—cultural appropriation, but rather “appreciation," giving Indigenous artists the opportunity to celebrate and showcase their culture in their own voice.

Intertwined with the Indigenous People is the natural world, which is created onstage through a diverse array of puppets, ranging from intricate to evocatively simple. The more literal puppets, created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop under Jason Webber, depict animals from crabs and deer to—of course—cranes. All are crafted with a handmade feel and creative complexity, both genuinely impressive in their design—one puppet’s appearance garnered applause—and intrinsically natural. The sky, meanwhile, is populated by birds, performed by soaring kites designed by Curtiss Lee Mitchell. Though far more simplistic by design, these puppets, too, give a moving performance. One highlight of the piece is a simple moment where two puppeteers carefully maneuver two basic white kites back and forth, thoughtfully depicting birds in flight. From the unadorned to the intricate, the evocative puppetry brings a contemplative playfulness to the piece while transporting the audience out of bustling NYC and into the tranquility of nature.

However, though the piece thrives on its thoughtful pacing, with no overarching structure guiding the action, the piece drags on a bit too long. And the beauty and meaning born out of simple moments mean the more heavy-handed images, such as a tug-of-war between the Indigenous People and oil rig construction workers, don’t land with the intended poignancy, instead feeling over-the-top and overly literal. Ultimately, though, it’s the contemplative beauty and pure spirit of this production that prevails, celebrating the joyful and inclusive spirit of the natural world.