When everyone’s already cast you as the villain, you might as well enjoy being bad.

Once upon a time, award winning but completely unknown actress Laura Kay Bailey headed to the Edinburgh Fringe to play the theater world’s most hated public figure: J.K. Rowling.

The show she performed in had Edinburgh “running scared” (Telegraph): the backstage chaos was unscripted and the death threats real. The New York Times was in the audience. No one had packed extra Valium.

Direct from London, Rowling In It: Villain In Progress is Laura’s story: a wickedly funny solo hour about artistic ambition, public outrage and finding your feet after spectacular failure.

In a "tour de force performance" (ReviewsGate), Bailey takes aim at J.K. Rowling's tweets, performative activism, and a theatre industry that can turn a short supply of oat milk into a moral crisis.

For fans of The Play That Goes Wrong, The Book of Mormon, Fleabag and Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic.

Written and performed by Laura Kay Bailey

Directed by Dominic Shaw (Associate Director of The Devil Wears Prada)

Produced by Hannah Elsy Productions (Co-Producer of The Ask at Theatre 555)

Dramaturgy by Jordan S. Daniel (National Theatre Scotland)

Design team: Video by PJ McEvoy, Sound by Mark Fenton, Original London Lighting Design by Nina Morgen

★★★★ — “Delightfully wicked humor” — Theatre and Tonic

★★★★ — “A whirlwind of comedy and social criticism” — All That Dazzles

★★★★ — “Funny and irreverent” — Reviews Gate

★★★★ — “An intriguing story of the personal cost of public outrage” — A Shiny Life For Me

“A funny and engaging one-woman show” — Daily Mail

“A fantastic array of comic impersonations” — The Spectator

“Very entertaining and amusing… tight, funny and pointed” – Bleeding Cool

On Instagram - @rowlinginit 

Venue Information

🍸 Come Early, Stay Late – Our full cocktail bar and lounge open one hour before showtime and keep the good vibes going for up to an hour after the final show.

👶 Age Matters – Guests must be at least 16+  to attend. Want a drink? You’ll need to be 21+ with a valid U.S. ID or passport. No fake IDs, no exceptions.

♿️ Accessibility? We've Got You – The venue is fully ADA-compliant. For accessible seating, purchase an ADA Seating ticket and feel free to email boxoffice@asylumnyc.com with any additional details. We’ll make sure you’re comfortably set up and ready to enjoy the show like the star you are.