If you think you live in a dysfunctional family, check out the folks in Moliere’s satiric comedy, “Tartuffe,” which is in final performances this weekend at the Railroad Theatre in Belfast. Orgon, the patriarch, has lost his powers of discernment because of an obsessive adoration for Tartuffe, a rogue who supports high-dollar tastes with other people’s money. So smitten is Orgon with Tartuffe that the old guy breaks up the loving betrothal of his daughter and promises her to Tartuffe.

Add to that a second wife, step-children, a brother-in-law, a curmudgeonly mother and all sorts of legal matters, and the stage is set for a night of theater that proves there ain’t much new under the sun. The modern struggles that come with family ties, power trips and psychological denial were just as frightening and tyrannical in 1669.

Unless, of course, you were Moliere, the French master of taking a close look at human social conditions and ridiculing the whole messy catastrophe. To him, there was comedy to be made from the quirkiness of our race. Director Howard Koonce has captured the spirit of Moliere’s fun with a very baroque cast of Belfast Maskers. You might assume the highly stylized situations and grand pageantry of this genre are tedious — and they can be. Fortunately, the Maskers are a discriminating lot, and, for the most part, know the right amount of style to work into — and out of — this story.

The standout performances belong to Joyce M. Smith, as Orgon’s insightful wife, Diane Coller Wilson as her smart maid, and Phil Price as the misled, but charming, Orgon. It would be wrong to imply that the other cast members weren’t talented and hard-working in their own rights. This is a fine set of actors, who present a warm and rollicking show that, although spoken entirely in couplets, keeps the audience laughing and thinking.

Costume designer Wendy Schweikert has the lead in this production, however. Her brocades, satins and golden trim create a most opulently dressed household. Amazingly, the costumes also move fluidly with the actors, so there’s no anxiety about the sturdiness of a skirt, hat or wig. Honestly though, it’s a wonder the box office doesn’t issue sunglasses with outfits this bright. Rumor has it, too, that Schweikert had to rely more on ingenuity than budget to create this magnificent apparel. To put a twist on an old phrase: With community skill like this, who needs the professionals?

Larason Guthrie’s set, which has a slightly surreal quality, also makes the most of very little and directs everyone’s focus cleanly along elegant walls to center stage. The cast moves several set pieces around — a task that can be drawn out with annoyingly good manners — but generally relies more on body language to announce the atmosphere of each scene. Still, bowls of fresh fruit give the gilded set a remarkable resemblance to a 17th century painting.

“Tartuffe” is a nugget of ornate entertainment that lets us look back to Moliere’s wacky times and brings us right into the center of our own. The Belfast Maskers make this happen with real flair.

The Belfast Maskers will present “Tartuffe,” 8 p.m. May 8 and 9, and 2 p.m. May 10 at the Railroad Theatre. For information, call 338-9668.