(Hollywood, CA) Have you ever wondered what your bones could reveal about the life you’ve lived? As it turns out, quite a lot.
Recently, we had the pleasure of attending The Bone Lady, a world-premiere production from Fables and Rumors now playing at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. Equal parts hilarious, thought-provoking, and unsettling, this is one show you won’t want to miss.
A huge thank you to Fables and Rumors for inviting us out to experience this incredible production!
What is the Hollywood Fringe Festival?
The Bone Lady is playing as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival, an annual, open-access, and uncensored arts festival celebrating diversity, freedom of expression, and artistic collaboration. Taking place each June, the artists of Hollywood Fringe take over theaters, restaurants, clubs, and more throughout this Southern Californian neighborhood.
To learn more about Hollywood Fringe and this year’s exciting lineup, visit hollywoodfringe.org.
The Bone Lady
One bone lady. One unwilling participant. 30,000 skeletons.
The Bone Lady drops you into what begins as a perfectly ordinary osteologist’s lecture – until it very much isn’t. When an audience volunteer proves to be less than cooperative with the demonstration, everything goes delightfully sideways. What unfolds from there is a sharp, funny, and genuinely fascinating 45 minutes that somehow manages to turn human mortality into an incredibly entertaining evening.
The subject matter is absolutely riveting. Through the lecture, we learn how osteologists can reconstruct a person’s life from their skeleton alone. Were they well-nourished? What injuries did they sustain? How did they live? And, perhaps most intriguingly, how did they die?
The idea that our bones carry a detailed record of our lives is both awe-inspiring and slightly unnerving. Marie Sadd (playwright, producer, and performer) takes that concept and runs with it, weaving science, humor, and humanity together in ways that are consistently surprising and deeply engaging.
The chemistry between the show’s two performers is another major highlight. The contrast between the osteologist’s relentlessly cheerful enthusiasm and the volunteer’s reluctant participation creates a dynamic that is both hilarious and strangely endearing. Their interactions keep the audience laughing while grounding the show’s more reflective moments.
And just when you think you’ve figured out where the story is headed, The Bone Lady takes a turn that feels startlingly personal. The reveal left me completely reeling…in the very best way.
Freaky Thoughts: The Bone Lady
At just 45 minutes, The Bone Lady is lean, focused, and expertly paced. Balancing comedy with genuine emotional honesty, the show explores mortality, humanity, and the age-old question of what happens after we die.
Despite its potentially morbid premise, the production never feels heavy. Instead, it maintains a playful, lighthearted atmosphere while still making space for deeper reflection. It’s funny, clever, a little bit creepy, and, at the end, surprisingly moving.
I absolutely adored The Bone Lady. With only a handful of performances remaining, this is one Fringe production that deserves a spot on your schedule.
Getting Tickets
The Bone Lady runs select dates and times through June 27 at Skiptown Playhouse (Main Space), located at 665 N Heliotrope Dr in Hollywood. Tickets are available for $10 at hollywoodfringe.org/projects/13610. With a few performances left, you’ll want to grab your tickets sooner rather than later!
About Fables and Rumors
Fables and Rumors Productions is an LA-based theatre company dedicated to new works and the power of storytelling. The team behind The Bone Lady is no stranger to creating award-nominated, boundary-pushing productions at Fringe: past projects include The Show of Many Things (a multi-award-nominated improvised immersive experience), Where Within (a multi-award-nominated new musical), and Valley of Light (an original musical). Outside of Hollywood Fringe, the company has also produced The Cleanup Crew, a multi-award-winning actual-play comedy, and The Showroom, an interactive murder mystery produced in collaboration with Last Call Theatre. These are serious Fringe veterans who know how to deliver!
The Bone Lady is written and executive produced by Marie Sadd, directed and produced by Jason Pollak, and stage managed and produced by Michaela Skaribas. The show stars Marie Sadd and Shelby Ryan Lee.
Know Before You Go
- The Bone Lady takes place at Skiptown Playhouse, 665 N Heliotrope Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90004.
- Tickets are $10 and available at the Hollywood Fringe website.
- The show runs approximately 45 minutes.
- All Hollywood Fringe shows start ON TIME, so arrive early to get settled.
- Street parking is available in the surrounding neighborhood. Arrive early to make sure you have plenty of time to find a spot.
