Ménage (1986)

The Lin-Manuel Miranda penned production was created as nothing short of a celebration of the largely Dominican neighborhood of Washington Heights, a struggling neighborhood alive with Black and Latino culture. In the musical, community landmarks: a mom and pop shop, a neighborhood salon, and a taxi dispatch service fight gentrification and the summer heat, while each character finds the balance between pride in their home and the desire to become greater than what the rest of the world thinks of them.

In the film adaptation, director Jon M. Chu turns each musical number into a massive show stopper, with grand set pieces and a wealth of diverse dancers. Yet, in this attempt to show reverence for the people of the Washington Heights barrio, Chu, or maybe more specifically those in charge of casting, left out a crucial part of the community, Afro-Latinos.

With only one Afro-Latina lead, specifically Leslie Grace, who plays Nina Rosario, a college student who is considered by her peers as “the one who made it out”, the film adaptation of “In The Heights” has become as associated with the celebration of Latino culture as it has been with colorism and erasure of dark-skinned Dominicans in Washington Heights.

One concept that has been mentioned in relation to the film is the “Brown Paper Bag Test”. This “test” is a metaphor that traces its origins back to parties in which a brown paper bag attached to the front door was an indicator of whether or not individuals were permitted to enter; those that were darker than the bag being barred entry. Although not denying Grace’s Afro-Latina heritage, those who have taken issue with the film have pointed out that her lighter skin still includes her in a more privileged group. Interestingly to note, Nina’s mother, who is a main character in the stage version, was written out of the film. With only a Puerto Rican father present in the movie, it is not clear whether Nina as a character is written to also be Afro-Latina as is Grace.