WEST PALM BEACH – Flip Schultz vividly remembers the last time he saw fellow comic Brody Stevens.
In a rush, Schultz spoke to Stevens only briefly that day.
Stevens died a couple days later.
“To this day I wish I would have said more than a couple of words to him,” Schultz said. “I don’t know if I could have helped him. Probably not. But I could have at least been a friend in that moment.”
A comic’s comic with a strong resume of acting credits, Stevens battled bipolar disorder during the last decade of his life.
Stevens, remembered by Schultz as an “incredibly funny, incredibly sweet, but tortured” man, hung himself in 2019.
When thinking about Stevens, Schultz inevitably returns to their last meeting.
“The memory still makes me sad,” Schultz said.
That memory will likely be floating around Schultz’s mind on Thursday when he headlines the third annual Stand-Up For Hope show at the Palm Beach Improv, benefiting the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
“If being a part of this is able to raise money and awareness to help some people who really need it, it means a lot on a human level and on a personal one,” Schultz said.
Schultz is expecting to perform for about 40 minutes. Prior to Schultz taking the stage, another local favorite, Carl Rimi, will perform.
Rimi has been working on some new material of late, and one or two of those new bits might make it into his Thursday set.
He, too, is looking forward to helping raise money for a good cause while performing for what he expects to be a receptive crowd.
“I think it’s more comedy crowds that go to these shows,” Rimi said. “They know what they’re getting into.”
Stephanie Wood is also scheduled to perform.
Ticket prices for the 8 p.m. show begin at $35. There is also a pay-per-view option for those wishing to view the show online.
