'South Park' creators clash with performers at their Colorado restaurant

“South Park” creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, who this summertime landed 1 of the richest TV deals ever, are being called Scrooges by performers astatine their Casa Bonita edifice adjacent Denver.

In precocious October, the performers, including the famed cliff divers, went connected a three-day strike, citing unsafe moving conditions and stalled negotiations implicit their archetypal contract. The performers voted unanimously to unionize with Actors’ Equity Assn. a twelvemonth ago.

The onslaught ended erstwhile the restaurant’s absorption agreed to bring successful a mediator to assistance successful the negotiations.

But the standoff has continued, prompting Actors’ Equity to instrumentality retired an advertisement successful the Denver Post this week that depicts a “South Park” cartoon-like Parker and Stone awash successful hundred-dollar bills portion their staff, including a gorilla and a idiosyncratic clad successful a swimsuit, shivers extracurricular successful the Colorado cold.

The national said its extremity is to prod the prima producers to resoluteness the labour tensions by giving astir 60 Casa Bonita performers, including magicians and puppeteers, a wage summation and different benefits on with their archetypal contract.

A afloat leafage advertisement is moving successful the Denver Post connected Dec 24.

(Actors’ Equity Association)

Other Casa Bonita workers voted earlier this period to articulation the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 7.

“At Casa Bonita, we worth each of our squad members and their good being,” the edifice absorption said successful a statement. “We are negotiating successful bully religion with our unionized squad members successful the hopes of concluding just corporate bargaining agreements.”

Parker and Stone declined to remark done a spokesperson.

The pair, who besides created the deed Broadway play “The Book of Mormon,” rescued the kitschy, bright-pink Mexican-themed eatery successful Lakewood, Colo., from bankruptcy successful 2021 and person since plowed much than $40 cardinal into the edifice to upgrade and close unsafe electrical, plumbing and structural issues aft the installation had fallen into disrepair.

For “South Park” super-fans, the venue has go thing of a mecca since archetypal being featured successful the seventh play of the long-running Comedy Central cartoon.

In that episode, Cartman flips retired erstwhile Kyle invites Stan, Kenny and Butters Stotch to his day enactment astatine Casa Bonita (not Cartman), wherever they are serenaded by the restaurant’s ubiquitous mariachi bands.

Along with legions of different kids who grew up successful Colorado, Parker and Stone fondly retrieve making the trek to the Casa Bonita of their 1980s youth. Restoring the edifice has go a passionateness task for the writers, a travel that became grist for a documentary, “¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!,” which streams connected Paramount+.

In July, Paramount managers were anxious to necktie up escaped ends to facilitate the company’s merchantability to David Ellison’s Skydance Media and RedBird Capital Partners. The incoming absorption squad besides became progressive successful the protracted negotiations to onslaught a caller woody with Parker and Stone’s accumulation company, Park County, to debar having the concern unravel, perchance tripping up their firm takeover.

Paramount yet agreed to widen the wide woody for Park County arsenic good arsenic fastener up the show’s exclusive planetary streaming rights for $300 cardinal a twelvemonth implicit 5 years. Until this year, the amusement streamed exclusively connected HBO Max.

The wide woody is slated to bring Parker and Stone’s steadfast $1.25 cardinal done 2030.

As portion of the pact, the squad agreed to make 50 caller “South Park” episodes for Paramount. The bid has enjoyed a ratings bounce and accrued taste resonance this twelvemonth arsenic it routinely roasts President Trump.

Actors’ Equity, which besides represents Broadway performers, is seeking wage raises for its members astatine Casa Bonita. Union representatives said performers’ wages determination mean $21 to $26 an hour.

“Matt and Trey person go fabulously affluent by pointing retired the hypocrisy of affluent and almighty people,” said David Levy, communications manager for Actors’ Equity. “And present they are behaving precisely similar the radical they similar to instrumentality down.”