What should I focus on when watching kabuki?

The greatest waste on a first visit is to panic about not following the story and so miss what is happening in front of you. Kabuki is built to work even when the plot escapes you. Edo audiences came in partway, watched a single act and left. So begin by trusting your senses.

What to look at, concretely. First, colour. Kabuki's costume and makeup colours carry meaning: the red of kumadori is held to signify righteousness and strength, indigo the villain or the supernatural. Face and costume alone will tell you a good deal about which side someone is on. Then sound. From the kuromisu, the black-blinded room on the audience's left (the shimote side), comes the geza music that announces a scene's air, its season, its hour, the shape of what is about to happen. The sound of rain, of snow, of a ghost's approach — you need not identify them for them to reach you.

And two great set-pieces. First, the mie: the actor stops, draws his eyes together, and the tsuke locks. The stage is declaring that this is the summit, so it cannot be missed. Second, the hanamichi: the walkway running through the audience along which actors arrive and depart. Having a performer pass at arm's length is something few other theatres offer. From the second visit, know the plot and start collecting the devices. Not everything at once, but more each time — that is how this theatre is designed.