Last chance to catch the SourceWorks Theatre's premiere production of A Queer Carol, quite a new take on the old classic, A Christmas Carol, at the Duplex Cabaret Theatre. The show began performances Dec. 6 and ends its scheduled run Dec. 21.

Set in modern-day New York, the story follows interior decorator "Ben" Scrooge, a prominent interior decorator to the stars and his assistant Bob Cratchit, who endures the abuses of Scrooge while simultaneously trying to take care of his partner, Tim, who is fighting HIV. According to a press statement, after refusing a collector for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, he is visited by the ghosts of Jake Marley, and Christmas Past, Present and Future.

Danny Pintauro, of "Who's the Boss?" fame, will star in the production. Pintauro was outed in 1997 in a National Enquirer story, making national headlines. Since, he has toured the country in a number of productions. The cast also includes Virginia Baeta, Henry David Clarke, Sean Bennett Geoghan, Nathan Johnson, J.D. Lynch, Cynthia Pierce and Yaakov Sullivan.

Playwright Joe Godfrey (The Call Back) commented on why he chose to write this adaptation in a statement: "I have always thought that a contemporary spin on this wonderful story would be appropriate for the gay and lesbian community. We have our Cratchits, our Tims, our Fezziwigs and certainly our own Scrooges." A Queer Carol is directed by Mark Cannistraro (The Velocity of Gary).

Tickets for the show are $15 plus a two drink minimum and can be purchased from Smarttix by phone at (212) 206-1515 or at the website, www.smarttix.com. — By Steve Luber