“Wait a minute,” I said to the dog. “Is it ‘weary’ or ‘wicked’? I think I’ve heard both. If I could lay hands on my phone, I’d look it up, but at the moment, I have no clue where it is.”

And the reason I couldn’t find my phone in that moment is sobering. Due to circumstances completely and utterly beyond my control, I’ve had to uproot myself and my aforementioned beloved dog—and move. That’s right, I’ve moved—lock, stock and barrel (whatever that means). Well, almost. I’m still in the painful process of leaving my beloved Camp Fox behind, and while the brunt of the burden is behind me, what lies ahead is daunting at best and incredibly depressing at worst.

Naturally, I’m overwhelmed, to say the least. I honestly thought I’d be firmly ensconced in my little slice of Catskills heaven until I entered the pearly gates, or faced with fire and brimstone, whichever my fate dictates.

Finding myself back at square one, I posed the question aloud, once again. “‘Wicked’ or ‘weary’; which is it?”

Unable to rest without knowing the answer, I searched through the pile of boxes, crates, bags and containers, desperate to find my phone, and the answer to the question which was niggling at my brain. And then it happened. My phone rang. Following the incessant yet welcome chiming, I dug my phone out of a laundry basket and opened the Google. 

“No rest for the wicked and no rest for the weary are two closely related idioms,” was the answer I discovered online. “Both phrases are used today to mean that work or activity never stops, but they started with two different meanings.”

 “OK!” I shouted to Gidget, who was beside herself digging through the piles and piles of stuff crammed into my tiny new domicile, searching for her own things, like a dog on a bone, as it were. “At least I’m not totally crazy.”

I discovered that “no rest for the wicked” comes from the bible, specifically the Book of Isaiah, which states that “there is no peace or rest for bad people,” which didn’t sit too well with me, so I kept scrolling. 

As for “no rest for the weary,” the original meaning is more direct and accurate: “Tired people do not get to stop working.”

Adding insult to injury, I read that these days the expression is “used literally or humorously when one is exhausted but still has more tasks to finish.” Trust me, I ain’t laughing.

Moving, Schlepping and Hauling, Attorneys at Law.

It’s been incredibly painful—physically, mentally and emotionally—not to mention draining financially and testing my mental limits, which are not holding up well. And since there is literally no rest for me, wicked or weary, I’ve been working at working in between the lines.

One thing I have not lost sight of is my favorite camera. Not sure where the others are at present, but I suppose they’ll turn up. After all, I now live in a space that could, in its entirety, easily fit inside the sprawling living room I’ve left behind, so I’m bound to trip over the others any minute now. 

Grabbing said camera, and leashing up my precious pup, I headed for the Forestburgh Playhouse (FBP) once again, this time to photograph the young people enrolled in this summer’s Performing Arts Academy, which is “designed to enrich and provide the highest level of artistic growth to students with a passion for the performing arts.” 

Since there’s no you-know-what for the you-know-who, I photographed the kids singing, acting and dancing their hearts out in a dress rehearsal of “Beauty and the Beat,” a tongue-in-cheek salute to the olde fairy tale, updated with a fun score and chock-full of pop culture references that had me laughing throughout the performance. I unexpectedly became a little verklempt, filled with admiration for the creative team that shares their considerable talents with the kids, as I clicked pic after pic, all the while doing my best to not feel sorry for myself. 

Since I was already at the playhouse, and desperate for diversion from the nightmare process of moving, I stayed for the current main stage production of “Hairspray” (now playing through August 9). It’s the musical version of the 1988 John Waters film; it took Broadway by storm in 2002 and has continued to entertain audiences ever since. 

Peppered with memorable characters like Tracy Turnblad (the ebullient Maria Boissonneault); her parents, Wilbur (the hilarious Mark Stoddard) and Edna (the incomparable scene-stealing Robert Anthony Jones); and Corny Collins (the insanely entertaining Joshua Woodie), “Hairspray” as performed by this cast in this production at the FBP is pure theatre magic at its best, in my humble opinion. 

Not to be outdone, other memorable characters abound. Tracy’s BFF and sidekick Penny (the delightful Mary Surette), heartthrob Elvis-wannabe Link (the swoon-worthy Gabe Salazar) and sexed-up Seaweed (the smooth-as-silk Mikey Corey Hassel) populate Tracy’s world, where she proves that one teenaged girl can make a difference in the ‘60s, a time of tumultuous change. 

As written by Mark O’Donnel, Thomas Meehan and Marc Shaiman, “Hairspray” addresses the civil rights movement while entertaining audiences throughout. With memorable tunes like “Good Morning Baltimore,” “Welcome to the ‘60s” and “Big, Blonde and Beautiful,” characters like the blatantly racist mother-daughter team of Velma and Amber (the talented triple-threat duo of  Kym Otto and Jayla Shedeed, respectively) make their mark in this production. 

Motormouth Mabel (powerful presence Carolyn Saxon) brought me to tears with her rendition of “I Know Where I’ve Been”—a haunting musical declaration of the downtrodden, as her daughter Little Inez (impressive spitfire Jade-Marie Gantt) lamented her lot in life. 

But wait, there’s more! Also inhabiting Tracy’s world are consummate character actors playing multiple roles. The always-hilarious Lu Zielinski, the buffoonish Dan Hasty and the entire FBP resident company who shine, shine, shine in this production under the impeccable guidance of director/choreographer Lauren Haughten Gillis and music director Cooper Sheehy. Not only that, but the show is gorgeous to look at, with beyond-colorful scenic and lighting design (Maggie Jackson, Brian Seckfort and Jessica Drayton) and picture-perfect costuming provided by Kyle Artone.

If it sounds like I was able to leave my troubles behind for a couple of hours, and simply be entertained in the best way possible, then my work here is done. Meanwhile, I’ll go back to looking for a pair of matching socks, the dog’s dinner bowl and my schedule of upcoming events. I know they’re all here somewhere and I literally won’t rest until I locate them all, along with my sanity. 

For more info, visit www.fbplayhouse.org or call 845/794-1194.