Black and white with a touch of colour ¿ classy and classic or heartless and cold?

Getting the balance right is one of the themes of this modern translation and reinterpretation of the classic 17th century Les Femmes Savantes by Moliere. The Sisterhood, R.R. Bolt's 1980s take on this comedy of manners and motives, explores sibling rivalry, the battle of the sexes and the conflict between intellectual snobbery and personal integrity at a cracking pace in rhyming couplets, replete with clever puns, irony, witty repartee and physical comedy.

It is also marvellously self-aware, with one character suggesting all the books should be burned — save the collection of Moliere as they must be worth a fortune.

The current production at the Daylesford Theatre, directed by Suzann McLean and produced by Jo Shane, is a clever realisation of a very clever play and well worth the price of admission.

Sisters Armande and Henriette are like chalk and cheese, with Armande seeking maternal approval through the parroting of her mother's and aunt's intellectual pretensions and aggressive feminism, while Henriette declares herself more interested in the sensory world than the world of the intellect.

The rivalry of these siblings, 'marriage is slavery' versus 'sex is better than speculative thought', is compounded by the fact that the poor but charming Clitandre, spurned by a scornful Armande, finds a warm welcome in the arms of Henriette. The young lovers' relationship is supported by Henriette's sympathetic but ineffective father, while her domineering mother has other plans for her daughter: marriage to a poet of dubious ability and large ambition. The parental battle of the sexes is spiced with a liberal sprinkling of a saucy maid, a lascivious aunt and a disloyal pal.

How the happy ending is contrived with a little help from their friends, involves a clever twist and a surprising revelation.

Very little, if anything, has been left to chance in this production. Even the music between the scenes, such as Madonna's 'Material Girl', and Hall and Oates' 'Maneater', have been carefully chosen to underscore the themes of the play. The scene is set with a black and white décor, carefully styled but unnatural, closed off from the colourful world of nature by a pair of French doors. The black and white theme is carried over to the costumes, with one exception: the flamboyant Trissotin appears as a Technicolor Boy George.

Enhancing the witty lines is a lot of delicious stage business — my favourite being the 'musical chairs' on the sofa in the second act. But even the manner in which Chrysale deals with the 'meaty matters' concerning the very down-to-earth Martine and the solving of the Rubik's cube puzzle show the deft hand of a thoughtful director.

There are generally strong performances from the cast, and the few pauses and flubbed lines could be put down to first-night nerves. That the play's rhyming couplets are never intrusive and even sound almost natural attests to the competence with which they are delivered. I am reluctant to single out individual performances, as all the acting was solid, with even the minor characters making striking impact.

I came away thoroughly amused and anxious to dust off the Hits of the 80s album buried at the back of my CD collection.

The play runs until September 8, with no performances on September 2 or September 3. Tickets ($25) are available from the BMDS box office 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on performance nights.