Presented by Amas Musical Theatre, in association with Tall Tree Productions, and making its NYC debut in a limited Off-Broadway engagement at A.R.T., Distant Thunder, with a book by Lynne Taylor-Corbett and Shaun Taylor-Corbett, music and lyrics by Shaun Taylor-Corbett and Chris Wiseman, and additional music by Robert Lindsey-Nassif and Michael Moricz, weaves a fictional story in the town of Browning, Montana, on the land of the Blackfeet Nation, of the real-life issues that could further erode their culture and destroy their Indigenous homeland. Directed and choreographed by Lynne Taylor-Corbett, the original musical fuses current pop stylings and references (including Dolly Parton and the TV show Survivor) with Native American drumming, dance, costumes, and language, as the true loyalty of a young lawyer, taken from his Blackfeet tribe as a child by his non-Native mother, is tested, in a struggle between his career and his heritage, compounded by his long estrangement from his father. Shaun Taylor-Corbett and Jeff Barehand. Photo by Russ Rowland. Attorney Darrell Waters (played by Shaun Taylor-Corbett) returns from Chicago to his childhood home to broker a high-finance deal between a large energy company and the Blackfeet Nation, and, while there, to inform his reclusive father White Feather (Jeff Barehand) of the recent death of his mother, also a lawyer, in whose unopened mail he found the lucrative business proposition. But the planned property sale and drilling, though bringing economic gains to both him and the region, would encompass the land’s Pikuni language immersion school run by Dorothy Dark Eyes, his boyhood friend (a convincingly committed Angela Gómez), and result in its demolition. Through a journey of shady negotiations, angry confrontations, and momentous revelations, Darrell reconnects with his past, rediscovers his identity, and learns the valuable lessons that “legal is not necessarily moral” and the importance of preserving his people’s Native language for the survival and spirit of their culture. Xander Chauncey, Chelsea Zeno, Angela Gómez, Michele Rios, Brent Florendo, and Shaun Taylor-Corbet. Photo by Russ Rowland. The musical features fourteen songs and an Indigenous cast of fifteen (along with the aforementioned actors, Spencer Battiest, Aubee Billie, Xander Chauncey, Bonale Fambrini, Brent Florendo, Chava Florendo, Irma-Estel LaGuerre, Johnlee Lookingglass, Glenn Stanton, Michelle Rios, Sampwe Tarrant, and Chelsea Zeno, some appearing in multiple roles) that together express the characters’ sincere feelings, divergent views, backstories of parental inspiration, familial dysfunction, and affecting memories, the joy and pride in communal activities (including the Indian Days festival, attended by clueless tourists), and “the paradigm of being Native American in America” and “to live with a moccasin in each world,” as succinctly stated in direct address by narrator and storyteller Grandma Jingle Dress (portrayed by LaGuerre), an important figure in the matrilineal society. Among the most compelling subplots in the chockful story is that of three rebellious teens – Thomas, who calls himself Tonto, the neglected young Smudge, and Aiyana Buck, who masterminds their plan to escape life on the reservation (and how to fund it) – embodied respectively by Battiest, Fambrini, and Billie (delivering a powerhouse vocal on “Strong Enough” and a star turn in her impressive Off-Broadway debut). Bonale Fambrini, Spencer Battiest, and Aubee Billie. Photo by Russ Rowland. There are also authentic segments of traditional drumming, speaking and singing in the Indigenous language (a solo by Chava Florendo as the powwow singer is especially haunting, as is the closing vocable created by Joseph Firecrow and performed by Lookingglass, in the role of the initially hostile tribal sheriff Raymond Running Buck), and anthropomorphic dancing flames and powwow fancy dances (led by Tarrant and Fambrini and coached by Thunderbird American Indian Dancers and Florendo). And there are some surprising (and sometimes implausible) twists and links between the characters that come to light (no spoilers), phone calls between Darrell and his absentee girlfriend, and a storyline of the relationship between the physically and emotionally damaged Jim Running Crow (Chauncey) and his optimistic and feisty girlfriend Shareen Still Smoking (Zeno), a secretary at the Bureau of Indian Affairs who saves the day on two accounts, with him and the narrative’s central business deal. Sampwe Tarrant and Bonale Fambrini. Photo by Russ Rowland. A bare stage with simple movable furniture, a full-scale upstage backdrop of the beautiful Montana landscape (scenic design Regina García), and germane props (by Josh Iacovelli), allows room for all the action and choreographed movement, accentuated by changes in lighting (by Anthony Pearson) and sound (by Ben Selke). Costumes by E.B. Brooks and Younghawk Bautista range from contemporary clothes and business attire to the colorful feathered regalia worn by the dancers. Distant Thunder offers both a platform for the under-represented Indigenous population of America and a rare opportunity for theatergoers of all backgrounds to take pride in their heritage or to learn about it, with bona fide authenticity provided by cultural consultant Florendo and Blackfeet advisors Smokey and Darnell Rides At The Door. Running Time: Approximately one hour and 55 minutes, including an intermission. Distant Thunder plays through Sunday, October 27, 2024, at Amas Musical Theatre, performing at A.R.T./New York, 502 West 53rd Street, NYC. For tickets (priced at $39-79, including fees), call (212) 563-2565, or go online.