more than just potatoes

Big fish in a small Boise: Ex-Houston Ballet star Trey McIntyre named CulturalAmbassador

Former Houston Ballet star and choreographer Trey McIntyre and his company, the Trey McIntyre Project, have been awarded the title of Cultural Ambassador by the mayor of Boise. The award includes a $25,000 grant.

"It confirms the reason we moved to Boise in the first place," McIntyre told CultureMap in an interview. "We're here to truly be a partner with the community and not just have the goal of putting on a great show, and living out the idea that arts can be a major force in the community."

Trey McIntyre Project formed in 2008 and is renown for incorporating classical and contemporary music into performances, including jazz and native Blackfoot pow-wow music, as will as tunes by Paul Simon, Nina Simone and The Polyphonic Spree. McIntyre has won numerous grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and has choreographed for New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theater.

McIntyre has long-held ties with Houston. While a student at the Houston Ballet Academy in 1989, he was named Choreographic Apprentice to the Houston Ballet — a position created especially for him. Regarding his relationship with the city he said, "My ties to Houston are so strong; it's always home to me. We plan tours there as often as possible."

"We'd been working with the city on funding for two years, since we moved to Boise," Trey McIntyre Project executive director John Michael Schert said. "We chose Boise over every other city, after evaluating Houston, Washington, D.C., Portland and San Francisco, all of which were very interested in hosting us. But as pioneers ourselves, Boise called out to us."

The company has thoroughly enjoyed representing Boise's cultural offerings while on tour. "We're like a football team — as we branch out, we represent Boise and garner fans," Schert added. "We have hundreds of Boisans who follow us on tour." And they have a lot to be proud of. Explained Schert, "The Trey McIntyre Project is aiding in the economic development of the city; we bring lots of press on a national scale that wasn't covering the city's arts and culture prior.

"That the company has been named the first cultural ambassador is an honor and very unexpected. I think the city is realizing just the effect we're having on individuals, donors, and also the government — what we're doing to improve quality of life and economic development. We've had stories in every major daily newspaper."

Mayor Dave Bieter has long promoted arts as an economic driver, but historically there has been little financial support from the Boise city government for arts groups. The mayor and departments of Art and History and Economic Development have created the Cultural Ambassador award from a one-time boost funded by $105,000 received from the Union Pacific Railroad for the lease of railroad tracks in southeast Boise.

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Movie Review

An all-star cast delivers clever laughs in new comedy The Invite

Photo courtesy of A24

Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, and Edward Norton in The Invite.

Once upon a time, well before scandal embroiled him, Woody Allen made great comedies aimed at adults. That type of film — which is different from the raunchy, R-rated comedies of the 21st century — has fallen out of favor in Hollywood, but as the new film The Invite proves, when done well it can be as funny as anything else out there.

Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Olivia Wilde) are an unhappily married couple living in San Francisco. As we meet them, Joe has arrived home to Angela preparing for a visit from their upstairs neighbors, Hawk (Edward Norton) and Piña (Penélope Cruz), who have moved in relatively recently. Their impending arrival starts a new round of arguing between Joe and Angela, something they can barely contain once the other couple comes to their door.

What proceeds is a getting-to-know-you process that is mostly awkward as Joe and Angela continue sniping at each other while Hawk and Piña put in their two cents in a much calmer manner. A sticking point between the two couples — the loud sex Hawk and Piña have on an almost nightly basis — turns the film on its head with an unexpected invitation.

Directed by Wilde and written by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, the film is a fast-paced chamber piece that takes place almost entirely in Joe and Angela’s apartment. Wilde, the writers, and the actors speed the story along not with action but through almost non-stop dialogue that often has the characters overlapping each other’s lines. The rapidity of the speech fuels the humor of the situation and establishes the differing personalities of each person.

Sex is very much top of mind for each of the characters for most of the film, but the filmmakers approach the topic in such a way that it never feels salacious. Each of the characters is a rational adult who can talk about sex in a mature manner while also acknowledging their unique feelings on the matter. And it’s the discoveries each of them makes along the way that brings about the most comedy.

But, like any comedy for adults, the film also has a dramatic tilt to it, and Wilde edges the story back-and-forth between the two tones extremely well. Joe and Angela fighting is played for laughs at times, but the sadness of their relationship comes through loud and clear. Hawk and Piña are much more intimate with each other, but the funniness of their openness is juxtaposed with a depth that arises through their conversations.

In the 2020s, Rogen has managed to make the transition from goofy stoner to stoner with real acting chops. In a stacked cast, he is the one who sells every moment the best. That’s not to say that Wilde, Norton, and Cruz don’t measure up, though; each of them inhabits their respective roles magnificently. The four actors play off each other as if they had been working together for years.

While The Invite will likely play better to those who have experience with long term relationships, its insights — and occasional bawdiness — make it a comedy that can be appreciated universally. With four actors at the top of their games and a razor-sharp script made even better by some well-done improv, it proves that you don’t need to go low to get great laughs.

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The Invite is now playing in theaters.

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