It is surely true that most people enjoy a good laugh, but laughter at one's own expense is not for everyone. We Canadians, as a whole, get a kick out of laughing at the stereotypical image of ourselves as portrayed on the old SCTV shows, or on the Red Green Show and on Air Farce. But, we Canucks are not a homogenous lot. We are a quilt of many different ethnic patches. When it comes to ethnic groups taking a swipe at themselves, the Italians are tops. New shows seem to be popping up everywhere about the stereotypical way we view Canada's Italian community, most of them written by members of that ethnicity. Most of these plays are about the daily lives within that community, lives that are like everybody else's, only with an Italian flavor.

The latest addition to this list of playwrights and humorists is Cesare Casciato. He decided to by-pass the ordinary folks and, instead, confront head-on the stereotypical image of the Mafioso, the Don or capo, whom we all know from the movie The Godfather, and the TV series, The Sopranos. This is an image created more by Hollywood than by reality, although the recently departed, but little missed, Mr. Gotti tried his best to live up to the Tinseltown image.

The Mafia was and is no laughing matter. Yet, Casciato has chosen to write a comedy about that organization. Sometimes we all have to laugh, even at the devil. So, one applauds his idea. He called his play Familia. It satirizes the violent world in which the Mafia family members conduct their business; it dares to laugh at that world, as foreign to most Italo-Canadians as it is to any other Canadian.

Familia, set in the 1980s, is the story of Tony, who through circumstance of birth is set for a career in the Mafia. But, Tony is not really suited to joining the family business. He is a dreamer, who at 25 still lives at home, who lacks an inclination toward violence, and who fancies the idea of becoming an actor.

The play opens with the funeral of Tony's father, who appears to have committed suicide, but Tony is not convinced of the coroner's verdict. So, how do you create a real Italian style commedia about a subject as volatile as the possible execution of a Mafioso, and about a young man's identity crisis? It needs not only a good script, but also experienced direction that understands how to skillfully interweave slap stick, melodrama, and lots of action. A good commedia has to allow the audience to disband disbelief, and at the same time frolic in the excesses of its humor.

Sadly, Familia contains all the right elements, but lacks cohesion. Its director, Ian Ferguson, has yet to learn how to bring believability to this type of broad humor that at the same time needs very subtle shadings. And, there are inconsistencies in the script. We are to believe that the action takes place in the northwest 'burbs of Toronto in the 1980s. So, how, do the allusions to the 2000 'Matrix' sneak into the action in the form an invisible gang, whose members are the foot soldiers of& The Don?

There are some very funny moments in Familia. Genny Ianucci, for the most part, manages to create the stereotypical Mamma, who overindulges in her family, cooks too much, and rules with tears. Anthony Grieco, a familiar sight to us from TV commercials, has managed a fair transition from that medium to the stage in the role of Tony. There is an excellent scene between Tony and his psychiatrist, Dr. Platt (Debbie Stoddard), which makes a very smooth transition from a daydream to reality. If all of the scenes worked as well, Familia would be a top play.

John Hamilton as Calogero inhabits fairly well the role of the inculpable fool that a commedia requires. Cosimo DeLeo's swaggering Bones, the Don's enforcer, has the makings of a perfect movie hood. Matthew Olver has moments of comic believability as Stuart, the fay director for whom Tony auditions. Pat Riccio, who for this role has abandoned being a musician, gives a brief, but solid, performance as The Don. And there are moments of mirth in the renditions of Sean Pratt's Poontang and Dino Bellis's Vito, two punks, who also happen to be Tony's best friends.

These performances are set in scenes that are all mere snatches and moments of hilarity, which somehow do not add up to a whole picture or story. Familia has all the possibilities to be a fine comedy, but it needs a firmer hand and a bit more work shopping. If you like seeing a work in progress, go and see Familia at the Jane Mallett Theatre, the St. Lawrence Centre, where it runs until June 22.