At the very beginning, it was an all female cast. The women performed on the stage and at the same time many were available for prostitution after the presentation. After some years, the shogun government banned women from Kabuki theater due to the excessive shame and temptation. From that point on, only males were allowed to perform on stage.
The pieces and dances are about the ancient heroes and villains of Japan.
The actors usually wear heavy makeup and have exaggerated expressions on their faces. The overall nature of this theater is to appeal to our deeper emotions. It tries to connect to what we feel. The show lasts for four to five pieces and none of the pieces seems to connect with the one that follows.
You don't have to understand the language or try to find a logical order in the acting. The whole thing is about the moment and the emotions it transmits. It is almost like a magic show.
The scenery has two fundamental elements: Hanamichi and Agemaku.
Hanamichi
The Hanamichi is the overall scenario which begins at the left of the theater and extends itself over the plato over to the changing rooms. The interesting part of the Hanamichi is that it crosses the seats. It makes you feel like you are in the middle of the show.
Agemaku
The Agemaku is the front curtain of the changing room. When that curtain opens, the actors make their appearance on the scenario.
Suppon
The suppon is an elevated platform on the Hanamichi. It is mainly used for supernatural creatures.
Koyaku
Although most of the actors are adult men, some of the actors have to interpret the roles of children. These actors are usually children around eight to nine years old called Koyaku
Music
The whole acting is accompanied by traditional Japanese music. This music ranges from background music, actual music, chorus, and singing.
If you skip to minute 33 in the video, you will get to see some of Kabuki's comedy.