The 400-year-old Japanese tradition of Kabuki is currently on display at Sadler's Wells. With two contrasting classics of the repertory in the performance - a revenge tragedy and a story of young love - how have audiences reacted to a genre whose restraint and unusual pacing can prove tricky fare for Western eyes?
Angela Friend, 31, Colorado:
I love all things Japanese, partly because of the aesthetics. I was completely absorbed by the colours. I felt as if I'd been dropped into a painting and it was moving around me.
Lynn Bennett, 53, Leeds:
Kabuki is a bit like Coronation Street. It's about human emotions. The passion that came across was quite shocking.
Lara Muth, 37, London:
Kabuki is the highest refinement of theatre. It's text, movement and dance all concentrated into this incredibly distilled and controlled art form. This is the most relaxing piece of theatre I've sat through in years because the performers are so in control. It's such a ride. My god, I was bawling. I wasn't really that interested in the story. I was interested in the performers' physical vocabulary and how much the audience can get from gesture. Kabuki is universal. You can tell that this woman is love and carrying this man's child: it all comes across. You weren't watching the performers having emotions; you were feeling their emotions.
Tim Williamson, 34, London:
I have a bit of obsession with Japan. This reminded me a lot of Japanese cinema. It's about creating a picture as well as movement.
Clare Goldsworthy, 29, London:
I think Kabuki's about everything that happens in life: love, death, relationships and sex.
Jenny Spooner, Kent:
Our friend's boyfriend is one of the drummers. He's a very modern man but he's transformed when he's wearing his Kabuki clothes. He's keeping a tradition alive.
Martin Hohmann, 32, Germany:
I thought the second part, Kasane, was more entertaining. The first half, The Wisteria Maiden, was very concentrated dance. The moves and gestures are significant, but I'm not too familiar with them. Kabuki is easier to follow when there's a storyline. The music is very impressive and underlines what's happening on stage.
Tokio Yamada, Surrey:
The performance was sincere. I've seen Kabuki in Japan and this was no different. It's difficult to explain what Kabuki is about. The performers move slowly and sometimes they stop.
Yuko Yamada, Surrey:
It's about how hierarchical and restrictive Japanese society was back then. Life was painful for common people, especially for girls and women. Kabuki expresses that.
Jeff Christie, 59, Yorkshire:
It's amazing theatre. The subtlety of the movement is fascinating and sometimes a little tedious. It made me think about all the artforms that were looked down on at first and then became accepted, like tango and flamenco.
Sylvia, 39, London:
It's like watching Tai Chi being performed in beautiful costumes. And the costumes aren't just clothes, they become part of the dance. The lurid plot was fantastic. I was surprised when the hero went after his mistress with a scythe.
· Kabuki is on at Sadler's Wells until 11 June
