Andrew Clements' beloved story, Frindle, comes to life at the Coterie

This article may look like the review of a play, but let’s say that it’s not a “review.” Let’s say that it’s a flumdingle. I’ll call it a flumdingle, and then you can tell all your friends that you just read a flumdingle online, and then maybe they’ll tell their friends. Pretty soon, the word flumdingle (which, by the way, I just made up a few minutes ago) might get a place in the latest edition of the dictionary. Maybe it will even come to replace the word “review” as the preferred word for this kind of writing.

And that, in a nutshell, is the premise of Andrew Clements’ award-winning children’s book, Frindle, which is about a boy who makes up a new word, frindle, and uses it to mean “pen.” (Frindle was published in 1996, when youngsters mostly did use pens to write with, instead of computer keyboards.) If you want your kids to develop an intimate relationship with words while also feeling a sense of empowerment, give them this book.

And Frindle has now come to life for kids and kids-at-heart in the Kansas City area. The Coterie Theatre (now in its 31st season and named “One of the Five Best Theaters for Audiences in the U.S.” by TIME Magazine) is performing Frindle in their Crown Center location through May 23.

Director Ernie Nolan has done a tremendous job with the cast, including the young local actors. The Andy Warhol-inspired set design (by James Holborrow) is also amazingly inventive, and adds to the “anything can happen” feeling of the whole venture.

Kids will relish the character of Nick (aptly played by Cooper J. Scott), who bedevils his starchy fifth-grade teacher, Mrs. Granger (veteran actor Peggy Friesen, in fine form), when he invents his new word, and stubbornly insists upon using it. Scott portrays Nick as an ingenious young dreamer and opportunist, who makes his outlandish dreams come true. (His biggest dreams revolve around distracting and outmaneuvering his teachers so they forget to assign homework.) If truth be told, Nick seems to be somewhat of a brat, boldly arguing with his teacher, and even challenging the school principal, Mrs. Chatham (Jennie Greenberry). Again, kids will feel the power—Nick’s power, and be gleeful. It’s not every day that a kid can celebrate such glorious one-upmanship over adult authority figures.

And then there’s the power of words, and the notion that words matter. This play will get the average fifth-grader thinking about such things as how many words there are in the dictionary.

And anything that gives kids the feeling of power over words is all right, in my book.

Frindle runs through May 23 at the Coterie Theatre in Kansas City’s Crown Center. Call 816-474-6552 or go to http://www.coterietheatre.org/. If your kids clamor for a souvenir, you’ll be interested to know that the Box office sells “Frindles” (well, they’re actually “pens” with the word “Frindle” printed on them) after the show. And talk about inflation—in the play, the price of “Frindles” (which in the 1996 book were 49 cents apiece) have now risen to a whole dollar.

What does author Andrew Clements think of the play? Stay tuned for an exclusive interview.

So what did you think of my flumdingle?