March 1 in NYC: Love Notes From Harlem at Don’t Tell Mama

Harlem doesn’t always announce its biggest nights in advance—but when it does, you can feel it in the air. Love Notes From Harlem: Styles of Billie Fitzgerald was born in Harlem, tested by a snowstorm, and now arrives for one special night at legendary cabaret club Don’t Tell Mama in Hell’s Kitchen on March 1, 2026. After weather forced the original Room 623 dates to be postponed, LaDawn Mechelle Taylor refused to treat it as a setback. She calls the storm a plot twist—one that shut the show down in Harlem and pushed her to bring the project back stronger, on a new stage, with the same heartbeat: a love letter from Harlem to the world.

Event details: March 1, 2026 – Don’t Tell Mama NYC

– Show: LaDawn Mechelle – Love Notes From Harlem (Styles of Billie Fitzgerald)  

– Date: Sunday, March 1, 2026  

– Venue: Don’t Tell Mama NYC, 343 W 46th St, New York, NY 10036  

– Seating from: 7:15 p.m.  

– Showtime: 8:00 p.m. – approximately 9:30 p.m.  

– Cover charge: 24.00 USD  

– Minimum: 20 USD per person (must include 2 drinks)  

– Payment: Cash only  

– Food menu available during the show  

This is a classic New York cabaret night: intimate tables, full bar, and a powerhouse vocalist close enough for you to feel every note.

A love note that keeps moving

LaDawn has earned the nickname “Queen of Switch Up” from people who know her best. When snow hit and the original Harlem dates had to be cancelled, she did not fold. She pivoted. What began at Room 623—created for and inspired by Harlem—is now stepping into a Midtown room without losing its roots.

Love Notes From Harlem is built as a storytelling concert: LaDawn, backed by live musicians, honoring Ella Fitzgerald, Ertha Kit, Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Nat King Cole and others while weaving her own journey through songs and stories. It is Harlem’s soul transported to Restaurant Row for one night only.

What people close to LaDawn are saying

From her mother, Rosalind Turner:

“My diva daughter LaDawn has totally lived her unforgettable dreams and she will never stop what she believes in. I am one great big fan of hers. She is the one who will ride through any rain, sleet, or snowstorm. I am a witness, and I know she has weathered a big storm by not giving up. She was forced to cancel a recent show and picked right back up the very next one. The girl is a realist.”

From Angela Strauman, NYC‑based actor and award‑winning writer in theater, television, and film, who joins the show:

Angela Strauman is “so grateful to be part of such a talented crew led by the marvelous LaDawn Mechelle.”

When LaDawn asked her to join the show to help represent the relationship between Marilyn Monroe and Ella Fitzgerald, she was beyond excited. She notes that multi‑racial friendships are rarely represented or portrayed in media, and that showing such a positive, supportive relationship between two friends…

…“in a time when there was such a divide, not unlike today, is such a great reminder that love and support will always win.”

These perspectives make it clear: this is not just another gig. It is community, legacy, and risk‑taking onstage.

From Disney princess to Harlem storyteller…

LaDawn’s path to this moment covers a lot of ground. She has immersed herself in performance at every level—from playing Disney’s first Black American princess, Tiana, to leading Whitney Houston tribute shows and singing from the heart at New York venues. She has proven she can carry iconic material and still sound unmistakably like herself.

In Love Notes From Harlem, she turns that experience inward: honoring the artists who shaped her, lifting up Harlem’s sound, and telling the story of a Black woman who refuses to stop moving forward, no matter the weather.

Why you should be in the room

If you love Harlem’s musical history, Black women headlining their own stories, intimate New York rooms where the singers really sing, and shows that feel like you are being transported to another era, then March 1 at Don’t Tell Mama is not the night to skip.

Love Notes From Harlem: Styles of Billie Fitzgerald is the kind of show friends talk about long after the last note—and the kind of performance you will be glad you caught before it moves on to even bigger rooms.

Learn more about Ladawn by watching her interview below: