Dolls Dominate Dublin: Dance Breaks, Diva Energy and a Perfectly Split G

At 9pm sharp, the curtain dropped to reveal a large raised platform, three towering screens and a glossy, wet-look stage complete with catwalk. It was sleek rather than stadium-sized, but it gave the room exactly what it needed: somewhere for three women, six dancers and an industrial quantity of hair flicks to get to work.

A video montage introduced each Doll before Nicole Scherzinger, Kimberly Wyatt and Ashley Roberts sprang from the stage in pink, flowing, tasselled tracksuits as “When I Grow Up” kicked in. It was the sort of entrance that announced, without even a hint of subtlety, that the next couple of hours would be devoted to dance routines, pop nostalgia and the very serious business of serving looks.

From there, the hits arrived at speed. “Beep” led into “Whatcha Think About That”, which blended neatly into “Bottle Pop”, followed by a six-dancer break that gave the trio just enough time to whip off those pink layers and reveal skin-toned, jewel-encrusted outfits. Barely pausing for breath or giving the audience time to locate theirs, they burst straight into “I Don’t Need a Man”.

The first proper chat of the night came with Nicole revealing that she is, apparently, two per cent Irish. The Dolls then tried out a few Irish phrases, moving quickly from “How are you?” and “Are you ready?” to the considerably less traditional “Kiss my ass”. Cultural diplomacy may never recover, but the Dublin crowd absolutely loved it.

Another run of favourites followed, including “Wait a Minute” and “I Hate This Part”, before a further dance break launched the show into “Jai Ho! (You Are My Destiny)”. The number came with spinning, trolley-style platforms and enough movement to make standing still feel like a personal failure.

In true Pussycat Dolls fashion, the trio were each given a solo moment. It would be fair to say that some shone more brightly than others, but I will politely leave that debate to the group chats, taxi queues and Dublin bars that followed the show.

Kimberly was first, delivering a lively combination of singing, dancing and DJing that included the PCD track “Candy” and a cover of Icona Pop and Charli XCX’s “I Love It”. Ashley dedicated her section to her mum, pairing her own song “Woman Up” with footage from her younger years. A punchy dance break then mixed Christina Aguilera’s “Fighter”, Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul” and Ariana Grande’s “Break Free”. Both segments felt personal, energetic and cleverly tailored to what each performer does best.

Then came Nicole’s considerably longer solo set, but would anyone honestly expect less from the Tony Award winner? Another video montage rolled before she appeared wrapped in what can only be described as very glamorous bedsheets and belted out “As If We Never Said Goodbye” from Sunset Boulevard. The bedding was then dramatically unravelled to reveal a red lace outfit with a hood, because apparently a world-class vocal and a theatre-kid reveal were not quite enough.

Nicole moved into her solo catalogue with “Baby Love”, “Don’t Hold Your Breath”, “Wet” and “Poison”. Vocally, she was phenomenal; visually, she looked sensational; and physically, she danced with the energy of someone who has never once heard a knee crack while standing up. It was impressive, polished and unmistakably built around her star power.

Kimberly and Ashley returned for “Buttons”, accompanied by yet another costume change: Nicole in latex and mesh, with the other two in leopard-print, camouflage-style chaps. As has become customary on the tour, guests were invited onstage for the dance break. Dublin’s chosen few included familiar faces from Dublins LGBT+ community, Davina Devine and Paul Ryder, alongside several delighted fans from the audience.

There was also an attempt to split the G. Ashley’s G had somehow gone missing, but that did not stop her from splitting it perfectly, a moment of professionalism, athleticism and possibly divine intervention that deserved its own round of applause.

“Stickwitu” provided the now-obligatory sea of phone lights, before “Hush Hush; Hush Hush”, “Club Song” and “React”. The latter finally received the full-scale live treatment it should have enjoyed six years ago, before Covid derailed the original full-line-up reunion. Hearing it in this setting felt both overdue and oddly satisfying.

There could only be one finale. The opening of “Don’t Cha”sent the room into complete meltdown: everyone knew every word, while a surprising number also appeared to know every dance move and ad-lib. For a few glorious minutes, Dublin collectively became the fourth, fifth, sixth and possibly seventh Pussycat Doll.

The audience was exactly the joyful mix you would expect at a reunion tour rooted in the late 1990s and 2000s: original fans, some now accompanied by their children, plus ladies, gays and theys in full nostalgic celebration. It was less a demographic than a highly coordinated pop congregation.

Having been part of the event management team for the Doll Domination Tour all those years ago, I watched this show with two hats on: the fan’s and the professional’s. The production was clearly working with a lower budget than that earlier tour, but it still looked good, moved smoothly and had not lost the Pussycat Dolls sparkle. The screens, platforms, costumes and relentless choreography created plenty of spectacle without pretending this was the same scale of production.

Nobody in their right mind could expect completely live vocals throughout a show with this much dancing. Even so, I would have liked to hear more fully live singing from all three together. It was also clear from the outset who the star of the show was: this was Nicole’s show from start to finish. That does not take away from her extraordinary voice, her stage presence or the fact that she can still dance like someone in their twenties. But I do think there is room for a little more humility towards the group that made her famous and for a little more space for the other Dolls to feel essential rather than additional.

Did I enjoy the show? Yes, absolutely. Was I completely impressed when wearing my old professional hat? Not quite. Would the full original line-up have made it stronger? I think so. As a trio, there was nowhere for the smaller imperfections to hide; as a fuller group, the balance of attention and personalities would likely have made the production feel richer.

Still, this was a fun, knowingly over-the-top night that delivered the songs people came to hear and did so with confidence, humour and a heroic number of costume reveals.

My verdict is a strong 3 out of 5 and I say that as someone who is particularly hard to please when major touring stars roll into town. The Dolls may not have achieved total domination this time, but they certainly knew how to make Dublin purr.