Review: Kabuki, Sadlers Wells

Written for Time Out

The title is intriguing. Imagine the Britist equivalents: 'Pantomime', perhaps, or 'Kitchen Sink Drama'. It's not really a show in its own right; more an abstract demonstration of exotic conventions by a crack display team, all constructed with the cultural tourist, rather than the connoisseur, in mind. It's almost a beginner's guide, drawing attention to component parts. As such, it's hard to escape the question of Kabuki's authenticity against its self-referential status as an archetypal export.

In those terms, however, Kabuki is an illuminating experience, made accessible by the informative in-ear running commentary. It tells three sections of the myth of General Yoshitsune, in which he and his lover are repeatedly saved by the supernatural samuria Tadanobi (Ichikawa Ebizo XI). The whole thing reeks of exquisite and exotic technique, from the vibrancy of design to the delicate grace of performance, and there are some genuinely astonishing moments, mainly from Ebizo - a superstar in Japan - who is as captivatingly statuesque in agility as it intense stillness.

Overall, though, it can feel slow and stilted when compared to local, customary tastes, primarily on account of the severance of its individual elements. Fascinating though the experience is, like all tourist attractions, Kabuki leaves feet itching: "Been there. Done that. What's next?"