Upamanyu Biswas
‘Can You Feel the Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story’ dives into the real-life struggles of Puerto Rican singer Lisa Lisa, who confronts the challenges of a divisive music industry rife with sexism and racism. As she tackles these harsh societal issues on her own, Lisa is helped by her band’s backup singer and best friend, Toni Menage. Toni constantly steps in to rescue Lisa from the dark corners of her life while also contending with personal challenges of her own. One of those challenges is her sexual identity, which makes her a target for those seeking to maintain a pristine image for the band’s members. Toni has to overcome the biases and orthodox thinking prevalent in her time to support Lisa when needed while also trying to rebuild her life as an individual herself.
Toni’s Identity Throws Her in Difficult Waters With the Upper Management in Can You Feel the Beat
Toni Menage is depicted as a lesbian woman in ‘Can You Feel the Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story.’ Although the Lifetime film is a largely accurate retelling of the life and experiences of Lisa Velez, also known as Lisa Lisa, and her best friend, Toni, it is slightly dramatized in certain moments. However, for the most part, it generally touches upon truthful subject matters relating to their personal struggles. To that end, the matter surrounding Toni’s lesbian identity is likely an accurate portrayal of the real-life Toni’s life and identity. It becomes a point of grave contention in the narrative as the band’s upper management weaponizes it against her. Although she makes no qualms about her sexual identity, it turns into a blackmail topic used by the band’s record label producer, Barry Conner.
In the film, a lot of the music people surrounding Lisa and Toni do not approve of their close friendship with one another. As Toni is a strong woman with clear views on Lisa’s objectives, she becomes a scapegoat whenever the Latina pop star decides to rebel against the establishment. In fact, Toni constantly looks out for Lisa’s best interest, which makes her an immediate threat to the power-hungry Barry and his partner, Rocco. They both seek to maximize their profit out of Lisa, not caring an ounce about the physical and psychological toll on her body and mind. Their mistreatment eventually starts to break her down completely. However, Toni remains a stalwart presence in Lisa’s life and keeps her feet firmly planted on the ground when the foundations start to crumble.
Considering the amount of influence Toni holds over Lisa’s life, it is understandable that she is seen as a catalyst for Lisa to spread her wings more than she should. Thus, Barry and Rocco decide to hone in on her lesbian identity as a reason to sow division within their friendship and also sever her ties to the band. Despite their idle threats, Toni does not abandon her friend and keeps a close eye on her well-being. In real life, Lisa and Toni share a similar friendship, with the former stating, “Where I am today, I owe 100 percent to Toni Menage… It’s always good to have people who got your back.” Although the real-life Toni keeps a relatively low profile on her personal life, it is likely that the film’s depiction of her sexual identity, experiences, and struggles is an authentic recreation of who she is as a person and the adversity she had to overcome.
Read More: Toni Menage: Where is the Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam Backup Singer Now?
