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HELLO FROM THE MAGIC TAVERN

I’m a fan of fantasy, I like improvised comedy and I enjoy letting my imagination slip away from my body for some well-deserved rest every now and then. That’s why I started listening to ‘Hello from the Magic Tavern’; a weekly improvised-comedy fantasy podcast.

The simple premise can be found on the podcast’s website: “Hello! I’m Arnie. I fell through a magical portal behind a Burger King in Chicago and found myself in a strange magical land called Foon. I’m still somehow getting a weak wi-fi signal so I host a weekly podcast, interviewing creatures, wizards, and adventurers.” And that, my friends, is pretty much all you need to know to get started.

Each episode consists of the host, Arnie Niekamp, the human host of the podcast, sitting down with two fellow inhabitants of Foon to chat with characters from the fantasy world. His companions are Usidore the Blue (an ageing wizard with not very much power and a *huge* name), and Chunt, a talking badger (sorry, a shapeshifter). Their stage: the Vermillion Minotaur, the local tavern in the town of Hogsface. Still with me? Then, you’ll love this!

I was hooked on this podcast from the start. The initial premise, whilst ludicrous, is really fun. The comedians who play all the characters are obviously close in real life, which helps bring out the banter in their characters. Each week, there is a new guest they chat to, played by another member of their friendship circle, and some of whom return as the same characters. These caricatures are all Tolkien-esque parodies, ranging from flying pigs, elven archers, eunuchs, hunger ghosts and memory gremlins.

The format is a simple one; the three primary hosts sit and talk, and later sound-effects are added in post-production to provide satisfaction to your ears as well as your laughing muscles. This basic staging is all that’s needed for this platform, as you’re focussed primarily on the banter of the three, shall we call them, ‘friends’ whilst Arnie tries to interview the guest each week. Anything more than this would have detracted from the original purpose of the podcast, so it’s nice to know what to expect.

I’m currently 38 episodes in, and all the episodes have been fairly consistent so far. Unfortunately, if you haven’t been listening since episode one, you may lose the meaning of some of the in-jokes, lore and banter references the main characters make. Also, being an American podcast, some of the pop culture references are lost on me also due to proximity, but it doesn’t detract too much from the essence of the show. The point is these characters, save for one, are not from our world, and so have the time of their lives in developing their own lore and mis-communications…hence why you often hear each person laughing under their breaths with each insult and tirade thrown to each other.

Through the website of the podcast, also, eager listeners can follow the wiki that’s been specially created for the show, which outlines each episode, and even picks out the specific Earth or Foon references made in the show. I’d suggest any fan goes and has a look for themselves, as it’s an extremely detailed and well-made reference site.

Whilst Arnie is the host and producer of the show, the stand out talent come in the shape of Adal Rifai and Matt Young, who play Chunt and Usidore respectively. Adal’s dead-pan humour and dry wit help propel his character along and develop his relationship with Arnie, whilst Usidore is, in my opinion, the main reason why anyone should continue listening to the show. Matt plays him as such a sub-par wizard, and yet commands such insanely brilliant improvisations and quips that bring the character to life. The reactions of both characters are surreally vivid as well; neither of these individuals know anything about how we live from day to day, and yet they quickly and masterfully analyse our common language and phrasing and can quickly pick it apart…and still remain in character. Improvisation like that takes a lot of development and love to create, and this is definitely a project of love.

Some negatives for me are, firstly, this is definitely not a podcast for young ears. Many who love the fantasy worlds of Narnia or Middle-Earth are younger in age, but unless you’re at least 16, they’ll either be offended or bemused by some of the language used. There is strong language, sexual references and mentions of drug use so if you have sensitive dispositions, maybe give this one a wide berth. Some of the humour does *occasionally* resort to toilet humour, but that sometimes depends on the guest speaker they have in each episode. Also, as mentioned, I’m only a third of the way through the first season, and the format hasn’t changed. Some may find this a bit stale and long for more of an adventure or story-telling setting like some other podcasts. However, this may be on the horizon, and I’m not turned off enough to stop tuning in.

The podcast has been growing for five years now, and the cast successfully tours the show for live performances at local theatres and podcast conventions. The website leads visitors through the shows community, to shops to buy merchandise and continue to the illusion of shows premise. It’s become a fan favourite amongst the podcast community and I would recommend anyone giving it a listen. You may find you have a new favourite.

‘Hello from the Magic Tavern’ is a podcast available via Apple Podcasts, Spotify and wherever else you may get your podcasts

Website: https://hellofromthemagictavern.com/

Podcast link: https://open.spotify.com/show/0FGOz929il130iXEwkInBa?si=ukq28ASJQnql7vQZThTfIQ