An example is mie or striking an attitude, often with one's eyes crossed and an exaggerated expression for dramatic effect. It is associated with the Ichikawa Danjuro line. Traditional kabuki is highly melodramatic but strictly historical. Like the work of Shakespeare, the old stories and characters in the plays are all familiar to those in the know even though the language itself is often antiquated and hard to follow. But while the Bard's masterpieces are still widely popular among all ages, kabuki is no longer of much interest to younger Japanese people.
Audiences tend to be made up of older people and refined young ladies.
Various actors and troupes have worked to incorporate avant-garde elements into kabuki and have worked in other areas such as TV and film. The actors themselves seem to do alright, at least the ones from the famous kabuki dynasties. Kabuki is truly a theatrical spectacle, combining form, color and sound into one of the world's great theatrical traditions. But as far as dipping your toe into this particular cultural pond is concerned, a half hour spent at the Kabukiza theater in Tokyo, Shin-Kabukiza in Osaka or the Minamiza in Kyoto is probably all you'll need. At Kabukiza, for example, there is a separate box-office for seats on the 4th floor, where you can enjoy a single part of the program for as little as 500 yen.