ANARCHIC local theatre company Big Wow’s annual shows at the Unity are fast becoming a comedic highlight of Liverpool’s dramatic landscape.

Matt Rutter and Tim Lynskey, with director Robert Farquhar, present a breathless 75 minutes which manages to encompass farce and slapstick on its way to a surprisingly moving ending.

Both Rutter and Lynskey are blessed with that essential quality for a physical comedian, namely they both have amusing faces. Rutter looks like a constantly confused Bob Hoskins, his sideburns framing a look of befuddlement not seen since Martin Freeman in The Office. Lynskey meanwhile, uses his tall frame and gift for mimicry to remarkable effect.

The Art of Falling Apart reveals itself as a Tarantino-esque story of linked characters all struggling with the demands of the information overload of modern life.

We follow Rutter’s Callum on a night out that begins with an argument with his possessive girlfriend (played expertly by Lynskey) who demands that he accompanies her on yet another weekend trip to Ikea.

Not ready to do the “family unit, cool-dad thing” just yet, he embarks on a drug-fuelled bender across town.

Not all of this works and the cavalcade of clichés that attend Brian’s birthday party are a bit lazy. But as Callum sits in a Starbucks and reflects on the sheer bewildering variety of coffee available whilst being comforted by visions of his late father, the play approaches a poignancy which compliments the impressive comedic chops on show.

Jamie Bowman