Astoria

PERFORMER	Bob Payne
DEBUT	1979

Waldorf and Astoria heckle Fozzie.

Astoria is the wife of Waldorf who appeared just once on The Muppet Show, in episode 413.

Her physical appearance resembles that of Statler in drag, and she wears a single flower in her hat. Kermit declared that Astoria is just as bad as the two old geezers who frequent the show; Waldorf corrected the frog, stating that his spouse is a "geezeress," only to be hit in the head by her for making such a comment.

When Statler was sick (of the Muppets' show), Astoria uses his ticket to attend the show with her husband. The couple visit The Muppet Theatre to see the stage show with the Muppets' guest star Dizzy Gillespie.

Upon seeing the opening act, Astoria asks Waldorf how much the Muppets pay him, because who could imagine a "poor stupid turkey" going to the show for nothing. To this, Waldorf sheepishly replies "gobble gobble." Later on, Astoria helps Waldorf heckle Fozzie Bear during his comedy act by shouting out the punchlines to Fozzie's jokes before he can finish them (in an attempt to rush the comedian off the stage).

Astoria often wonders why her husband keeps coming to this "irritating, mindless, incessant nonsense" while he could stay home with her. The only answer from Waldorf was "no comment." She's later referenced in episode 420 when Waldorf claims that she consumes a whole glass of Jekyll-Hyde potion every morning.

In the Ask Henson.com web column in the early 2000s, Muppet writer Jim Lewis was asked to provide information on Astoria:

“Astoria was married to Waldorf some time ago. We were unable to reach Astoria for more details, and Waldorf cannot remember anything past last Tuesday, for which he is eternally grateful.”

Based on off-hand comments made by Waldorf in more recent years—including in Pepe's Profiles (2005), From the Balcony (2006), and an appearance on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (2010), it appears that Waldorf and Astoria are no longer married. Although it is not clear if this is due to divorce or death (or if the comments are just the results of Waldorf's wishful thinking or poor memory).

In the "20 Facts About The Muppets" video for Mental Floss, Statler and Waldorf speak about the hotels they are named after, Waldorf specifically mentioning that he and Astoria were named after the the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Waldorf observes that she does not appear with the Muppets so much. Says Statler: "Can you blame her?" During a Twitter Q&A on September 29, 2015, Waldorf was asked how Astoria is. He replied. "She's never been better!" Statler added, "Yeah, 'cause you're out of the house!" [1]

Performer

Astoria's performer was unclear for many years. Credits for The Muppet Show did not list the specific characters performed by each puppeteer and any other official sources (such as annotated scripts, on-set photographs, or other production documents) stating who performed this one-time-only character have not surfaced in the decades since the episode aired.

Over the years, several discussions had attempted to identify the performer of the character based on the only audio available in the final cut of the episode. Based solely on Astoria's limited appearance and dialogue — including guesswork on vocal similarities to other characters, puppet movements, puppeteering styles, or other production logistics — fans have scrutinized and speculated over who the puppeteer may have been.

Kathryn Mullen communicated to the Jim Henson Company archivist Karen Falk in 2007, that Astoria's performer was either Louise Gold or "one of the guys. It was not Bob Payne who wasn't really performing by then." (This, of course, was a misnomer; Payne was credited in episode 407, produced in the same year as Astoria's appearance. He was also working extensively with the Muppets on Sesame Street that year). Falk confirmed at this time that the information was not included in any production files for the episode.

When asked in a 2008 interview who performed Astoria, Steve Whitmire responded: "I ought to know that. But frankly, I don't remember. … It could have been me. I can't answer, I don't know!"

In 2010, over 30 years after the episode with Astoria was produced, Jerry Nelson also remained uncertain of who the performer was. Nelson refuted playing the character himself and surmised that "it sounds like John Lovelady, who was there for the first season of [The Muppet Show], but Bobby Payne would be my second guess."

One of the more often recurring theories for Astoria's performers in online discussion was Bob Payne. During much of this time, Payne's repertoire hadn't clearly — or quite so firmly — been established. However, as more vocal evidence continued to turn up over the years, discerning a performance style from his characters became more evident. Specifically, audio comparisons between Astoria and three characters performed by Payne the same year on Sesame Street played a key role: an Anything Muppet dentist (in Episode 1247), Georgie, and Bertha (who is credited as Payne in the script for Episode 1207).

Notes

• Although Astoria looks like Statler, there is no indication in the episode that the two are related. The possibility that Astoria is Statler's twin sister (and therefore Statler and Waldorf are brothers-in-law) has been cited in a number of places on the internet, however such a claim is pure conjecture. For more Internet urban myths, see the rumors section of Muppet Wiki.

• Astoria is also the name of neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. The area is home to Kaufman Astoria Studios, the production studio of Sesame Street since 1993.

See also

• Statler and Waldorf's relatives