Kabuki and Noh are so frikkin' deep and rife with custom/stylized abstraction it's difficult (impossible) to reduxe to summary-form. I have a book that breaks down Noh-theory: 656pp and smaaaaall type; no(h) pictures.

Kabuki (what I can think of off the cuff):
•broad, agressive/highly exaggerated movements for the male/lead character (this wouldn't be appropriate for Alice, I think, even if she replaced the traditionally male protagonist, she's just so demure - but maybe you intend to change her role? I ain't no sexist, yo, but Kabuki, despite being invented by a woman, sure is: quote from movie on Kabuki: "Only the male performer of the female role (omnagata) is capable of expressing femininity with such perfection")
•always contains an olds character who's assumed to be better than everyone else; a Daimyo/Lord/King sorta guy
•loud percussive banging accompanying important movements; a foot-stamp might, for instance, set off a 10 second blast of wooden blocks slamming rapidly on a flat wooden surface
•speaking is done slowly and with force; other characters rarely move at all while someone else is talking
•ooh I love this one: "Ghosts" sit quietly on the stage and change things around (especially costumes of important characters) as the script demands - LOVE that shit. Y'gotta see it to believe it. Despite the fact their dress is nothing like "subtle" (they wear bright patterns and white faces) you really just don't notice them - even when you see exactly what they're doing. it's amazing~!
•there's often a demon or spirit that's screwing things up.
• no holds barred, outside of defying tradition (a no-no), where technical innovation is concerned. the first kabuki stage is known to have contained at least 6 trap doors and at least three mechanical lifts - this is over 400 years ago - and required no fewer than 20 stage hands. that's some biz right there.
• dance is an extremely important element. the lead character is expected to be a master dancer.
•hero = red designs on face; villain = blue designs on face
• I'm not quite sure what this is about, but the audiences shout "OMATAKAYAAAAA!!!!!" really loudly at certain points. What the hell this is about or how they know when to do this is something I seem to have forgotten for the moment but I'll look into it. As a note to this, Kabuki is a kind of rebellion against Noh, which is very quiet and orderly, almost sacred; Kabuki is conversely very energetic and exciting.

Attempts to outlaw Kabuki in favor of Noh led to bloody peasant revolts. Nowadays some Kabuki can cost upward of 5000$ american for a single ticket.

Noh (ditto above caveat):

•Where Kabuki relies on make-up, Noh uses masks. The masks are smaller than the face of the actor and are highly traditionalized; that is, there are only so many Noh-mask designs. only master mask-makers are "allowed' to fool around with exactly what each character looks like. Common Noh characters include:
the Old Man (my personal fave)
the Maiden
the Servant
the Peasant
the Prince
the Samurai
etc.
•Noh is one step away from church. it's buddhist morality plays, presented in a context that is intended to be entirely ritualized and sacrosanct.
•Sometimes called the "Art of Walking", Noh always contains a journey that is both "actual" (to the narrative) and symbolic, representative of some spiritual or moral 'becoming'. Walking is the single most important feature common to all Noh plays. It can take a master Noh-actor as long as half an hour to cross thirteen feet of stage.
•Musicians on the Noh stage are akin to priests or monks. They are a class unto themselves, and also expected to be the most masterful available artists. Two drums, a chanting chorus, and (verrrrry rarely) a sentur are the traditional instrumentation of Noh music. it is among the most arresting and emotionally engaging music i've ever heard, and it makes me cry a little bit just to think about it. Noh music is one of those things that makes hard-nosed atheists look like idiots (or heartless subhumans).
•gesture and emotion are the core of Noh. A skilled Noh-actor can create a dizzying array of human expression behind those little masks with nothing more than a 1? change of tilt, or a subtle vibration of the neck. The thing is, you can do it too - tie a cup or a paper plate to your face and look in the mirror; think "happy" and lift your chin a teeny little bit. then think "sad" and tilt your head eeeever so slightly to the left. then think "pissed", look down and vibrate your neck. it's amazing. people get it without realizing how they've been fooled into seeing the "expression" change on a wooden mask (or paper plate).
• Noh is moral. it often ends with bad people getting what they deserve and good people... uh.... tragically dying, *but* then being brought back to life by a sentimental spirit or ghost. It's function is/was primarily to teach buddhist precepts of karma and righteousness. Fuggin fascists.
•As in Kabuki, Noh features the curious custom of males-only casts. Thing is, some pudgy double-chinned japanese dude is going to make you a little horny when he puts on that Maiden mask and starts mincing around. They rock.

To get Noh, you have to see it. i suggest going to the library (or I'll bet they have a japanese Chamber of Commerce in yer country) and getting some videos. practice that walk, and think "Jeezus Fikking Kryjst~! Those people are insane~!" but it gets you into the mode of doing things v-e-r-y-s-l-o-w-l-y....

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