Alright, one more thing before I crack the snoozer book. We’re going to one of the kabuki shows this weekend at the Paramount, and I can’t wait. I think I may have attended a kabuki performance around 1978 in Japan, but I do not have a clear recollection of it, and it may simply be a false memory. So far I have avoided my customary research binge, and thus retain nearly perfect ignorance about the form, save the most general facts: relatively old theatrical tradition, only male performers, etc.
I’m uncertain if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but it is a rare thing, and that piques my interest. Should I retain this relative degree of ignorance, I hope I shall be able to use it to really look at the performance and form hypotheses that I can later analyze against all that tasty knowledge I’m now consciously avoiding.
I suppose it’s possible that this may also lead to an opera visit, as Viv has previously expressed interest in the form, while I have seen enough to know I don’t care for it.