Review: Timberline High School’s “Something Rotten”
Originally published on Rachel’s Choice on March 8, 2026
Stepping into Timberline High School (THS) last Saturday night, I had only a vague idea of what to expect. All I knew was that this show had something to do with the Renaissance. Truthfully, that is not my favorite era of history, but I had the trustworthy recommendations of five different people to keep my interest sustained. THS Theatre Director Dr. Adam Jones and Choral Director Terry Shaw have both led me to wonderful adventures in the arts before, and so I knew this was going to be a great show! What sealed the deal was the conversation I overheard behind me from the audience, “you saw the musical ‘The Book of Mormon?’ You’ll be fine and you’ll really like this!” Yep, I was going to love this!
This show was not just “great” – it was absolutely brilliant and perhaps my personal favorite show this year! I might dare to call it perfect.
The vocal and instrumental quality were superb, making me forget that it was a high school production in the first place. Lilly Dickinson and Romi Scroggs’ choreography was a vibrant delight, and the cast was filled with many talented dancers. The dedication and enthusiasm of the cast and crew were contagious, and made the show entirely captivating. The content was insanely clever, hilarious, and intelligent in the way it played on words and referenced numerous historical moments in both Renaissance and Broadway histories. It does not matter how literate you are in either history, there are a variety of laughs throughout the script and truly something for everyone in this very unique script.
Shows of this caliber are rare, and make you feel electrified with utter joy.
This show ends this weekend, so RUN, don’t walk to get your tickets. Purchasing them ahead of time will make sure you get a seat as I am confident the last three shows will sell out. You can get your ticket here.
Standing Ovations
I hooped and hollered so many times throughout the show that by the time the cast took their final bow, I was extremely close to losing my voice altogether. Each member of the ensemble deserved a round of applause, but these cast members were the ones who stood out to me throughout the show.
Morgan DiCrescenzo gave an outstanding performance with a talent beyond his years. Something about DiCrescenzo’s performance had a cinematic quality, and it left me truly impressed.
Jaxon Mitchell Gonzalez portrayal of lead character Nick Bottom carried a masculinity and charisma suitable to each moment. Everything I observed told me that he belonged on that stage.
Kat Gohringer’s interpretation of Shakespeare was one of the best things I have ever seen on our local stages, and I have a feeling we will be seeing Gohringer on a lot more local and national stages.
Romi Scroggs proved to be a very impressive dancer with budding professional qualities.
Davion Killebrew was also an impressive dancer who had a joy that made her sparkle on stage.
Personal Reflections
In his director’s note, Dr.Jones wrote the following:
“Tonight, we come to lampoon the Renaissance, not praise it! In Something rotten’s Hilarious skewering of Shakespeare, period attitudes towards gender and race, and musical theatre itself, it also manages to holdup a mirror reminding us of both how far we have come and how far we have left to travel.”
I appreciated this note because I felt like it rang true of what I experienced in the audience, and what the students achieved on stage. I think all of these topics are bigger and more complex than we give them credit for. However, because we interact with these topics on macro and micro levels each day, we downplay their significance. I think our society is being challenged to critically think now more than ever. Art’s ability to go deep into these complex topics is what continues to draw me into the audience on a regular basis.
Dr.Jones’ note continues:
“In our current era of turmoil and strife, we hope that tonight’s show gives you a good laugh and points you towards our common humanity. And, in doing so, maybe plays a part in a new era of rebirth. All the world is a stage, right? Welcome to the Renaissance.”
Yes, we need to laugh. Many people feel an obligation to carry the weight of the consequences of our current political ongoings each day in each moment. I cannot comment on whether that is “good” or “healthy” to do, but I can tell you that every well intentioned heart deserves the respite of the arts. So treat yourself to a show, and remember that every ticket is funding the resistance to every awful thing going on right now. Above all else, just as Dr. Jones says, the arts point us towards our common humanity.
We have an opportunity to create our very own renaissance on this stage called the modern era. One day, students will read about us in the history books, and if we are lucky, the artsy students will write a musical about us. What tone do we want to have carry throughout the musical score? We cannot avoid distress entirely, but we can have bright beacons of hope come together in a chorus.
Do not give up, dear readers, especially when you sense something rotten afoot.