The Net Will Appear - by Erin Mallon (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Two rooftops in suburban Ohio. A 75-year-old man and a 9-year-old girl sit on houses full of secrets. Literally. Bernard wants nothing more than to enjoy his beer (and perhaps kill a few sparrows), but Rory next door has different plans for him. With six decades between them and only four chance encounters to connect, these unlikely new friends unearth what's buried in each other and find new ground. Warning: this play includes tap dancing, pumpkin throwing and air-hugging.

Review Quotes

"The best word to describe this show is pure. Seventy-five minutes of pure heart, pure warmth, pure fun. Go see it, and you'll come out wanting to hug every loved one you have. According to Rory, you absolutely need four hugs daily just for survival, eight for maintenance, or twelve for growth, after all, so consider it an investment in yourself. Erin Mallon's THE NET WILL APPEAR traces an unlikely friendship between two neighbors: the hardened, 75-year-old veteran Bernard and the optimistic, tireless 9-year-old schoolgirl Rory. The plot is developed entirely through conversations exchanged from their respective rooftops. Their first chat is initiated by Rory's mere childish curiosity in Bernard's solitude, but over the course of several months, they find in each other the love of a "bonus" father and daughter which is missing from their lives. Simple? Very. Cheesy? Slightly. But it's that charming kind of cheesiness you find in Hallmark movies, the kind you just can't help but love, especially now that holiday cheer is in the air. Plus, the show's hysterical. The characters' sharp wit offsets what could have been a strictly saccharine story, and thus sets it above any Hallmark movie. You don't know what will come out of either character's mouth at any given moment. It's often a toss-up between wisdom or a wisecrack, and either way it's gold." ⁠-⁠Gillian Russo, PlaysToSee.com

"The humor in THE NET WILL APPEAR is born out of a straight man/zany girl set up. But the playwright Erin Mallon uses Rory's outrageous honesty to break through Bernard's crusty dissatisfaction and hurt in surprising ways." ⁠-⁠Susan Hasho, TheaterPizzazz.com

"The play denotes an unlikely friendship that develops between two neighbors ⁠-⁠ on their rooftops, a 75-year-old man and a 10-year-old girl, save each other from their lonely worlds below. The show was truly a surprisingly humorous story filled with love, heart, and compassion ⁠-⁠ where two wonderfully eccentric people find true friendship." ⁠-⁠Jennifer Tripucka, HobokenGirl.com