Ichikawa Somegorō VIII, 2026. Photo: CREA Kabuki is coming back to London. On 30 and 31 January 2027, Ichikawa Somegorō VIII and Onoe Tatsunosuke III will take to the stage at Sadler’s Wells for a programme of classical Kabuki dance. It will be the first major Kabuki performance in London for 17 years. The last time it came here I was 13 years old and knew absolutely nothing about it. Since then, it has somehow become such an important part of my life that I now have old prog

James McNeill Whistler, Caprice in Purple and Gold: The Golden Screen, 1864. I recently visited the new Whistler exhibition at Tate Britain. I was pleasantly surprised to discover how much attention it gives to his fascination with Japan. The artistic threads that connect Europe and Japan are something I find myself returning to again and again. Whether it's David Bowie encountering Kabuki, Benjamin Britten discovering Nō, or Yellow Magic Orchestra drawing inspiration from Ge

In my February newsletter, I said I would share some thoughts on the Samurai exhibition at the British Museum. I went on a sunny Tuesday afternoon in March and really enjoyed it. The exhibition runs until 4 May 2026 and is well worth seeing. Atmosphere The first thing I noticed was how intimate the space felt. The lighting was low and soft, and at times it was as if I was walking beneath a dark, open sky. Subtle purple and blue tones from a film projection in one of the first

On the auspicious date of Friday 13 February, I went to see The Gambler, performed by the Kyoto-based Chiten Theatre Company at the Coronet Theatre in Notting Hill. This adaptation of Dostoevsky’s novel was my first experience of Chiten’s work, so I was curious to see what they were all about. The Coronet Theatre is one of London's hidden gems. It first opened in 1898, and you can feel that history in the fabric of the building. Its candlelit bar, open before and after perfor

One of the biggest challenges of studying Kabuki in London is access. There simply aren’t many people here with the embodied knowledge I’m trying to acquire. It can feel isolating. For me, Kabuki has to be active, not theoretical. I love the books, the films, the research. But what I crave is hands-on experience. Learning the movement vocabulary. Feeling the weight and quality in my body. Understanding the structure from the inside. I'm currently taking one-to-one lessons wit

This video is a reflection On my first ever Kabuki make-up lesson, Which took place four months ago During my December visit to Tokyo. Kabuki make-up is called Kumadori, A tradition with a rich and radical story. Kumadori refers to the bold painted lines That carve the lips, nose, cheeks, and eyes. As Kabuki is a highly stylised art, Make-up plays a pivotal part In expressing the emotions of the actors on stage— From ecstatic joy to seething rage. Blue lines symbolise charact

A master of Noh mask-making, Kitazawa Hideta preserves tradition while embracing artistry, offering profound insights into this ancient art.

Explore the fusion of Schubert's Winterreise and Kabuki theatre in Spring Snow, an innovative, ground-breaking new music-theatre production.