I went to Kabuki twice in Japan, both in the Ginza theater. first time, I didn't have the in-ear translation (must have overlooked it). Even though it was a play that I had studied, it will still pretty boring. The second time, I made sure to get the in-ear and enjoyed it much more. It is heavily stylized, and the Japanese spoken is so accented that many Japanese can't even follow. But I think the entire experience is worth it, especially if you pick a single performance with a good amount of action. The in-ear does a good job of explaining not only the story, but also some of the conventions you see, such as special poses.

If there isn't translation in the Kyoto theater and you think you'll have opportunities to see Kabuki at home with translation, not sure what I'd do. One thing that is fun is hearing the (seemingly random) shouts from the Japanese audience members for their favorite actors.