BEST BETS Saturday 12/9

Saturday

3pm

Theater/Family

“Paquito’s Christmas,” the family holiday musical about a young runaway boy’s discovery of the true meaning of Christmas, written and directed by Luis Avalos of TV’s “The Electric Company,” returns for a seventh year. Heading the cast and reprising their roles are Dominic Domingo as Paquito, and Roberto Alcaraz and PBS “Storytime” actress Marabina Jaimes as his parents.

* “Paquito’s Christmas,” Pasadena Civic Auditorium, 300 E. Green St., Pasadena, Saturday and Sunday at 3 p.m. $10 to $12. (626) 449-7360.

8pm

Jazz

There isn’t much that Bill Frisell won’t--or hasn’t--played. The exquisite guitarist has a wide range of musical tastes, and the results of his excursions are usually sublime.

The Bill Frisell Quartet, Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., L.A. 8 p.m. $20 general admission, $17 for Skirball members, $12 for students ($1.25 fee added when ordering by phone from Tickets L.A., [323] 655-8587).

SATURDAY

8pm

Theater

A Noise Within, ensconced once again in its Glendale home at the historic Masonic Temple Building, reprises Geoff Elliott’s meaningful and warmhearted 1999 adaptation of the Charles Dickens holiday classic “A Christmas Carol,” a celebration of life and rediscovered humanity.

* “A Christmas Carol,” A Noise Within, 234 S. Brand Blvd., Glendale. Saturday, 8 p.m. Also Sunday and Dec. 17, 2 and 7 p.m.; Dec. 15, 21-22, 8 p.m.; Dec. 16, 20, 23, 2 and 8 p.m. Ends Dec. 23. $22 to $40. (323) 953-7795.

4:30 & 7:30pm

Theater

“The Adventures of Stagecoach Mary,” R.C. Thompson’s radio comedy presented by the Wells Fargo Radio Theatre, is based on the true story of Mary Fields, a former slave who became a legend in Montana, riding for the Pony Express, driving for Wells Fargo, building a school and nursing the sick.

* “The Adventures of Stagecoach Mary,” Wells Fargo Radio Theatre, Autry Museum of Western Heritage, Saturday, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. $12 to $17. (323) 667-2000, Ext. 317 or 243.

10pm

Pop Music

Weathering the curse of being labeled “the new Springsteen” in the early ‘90s then surviving the folding of his record label, singer-songwriter Michael McDermott has persevered, and his new album, “Last Chance Lounge,” is collecting critical raves.

* Michael McDermott, Saturday at the Mint, 6010 W. Pico Blvd., 10 p.m. $10. (323) 954-9630.

8pm

Pop Music

Harry Belafonte, 73, might have become a quickly passing novelty when he arrived as the King of Calypso in the ‘50s, but in the intervening years he went on to distinguish himself as a musician, actor and humanitarian. His most recent honor: an honorary degree from Fisk University in Nashville in May.

* Harry Belafonte, Segerstrom Hall, Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, 8 p.m. $45 to $65. (714) 556-2787.

10 pm

Pop Music

The eightysomething Eduardo “Lalo” Guerrero is the father of Chicano music, a performer who distills the Mexican American experience in styles ranging from big band to bolero. The legendary figure’s show at the roots-rocking Culver Saloon marks a rare appearance at a pop-rock venue.

* Lalo Guerrero, Saturday at the Culver Saloon, 11513 Washington Blvd., Culver City, 10 p.m. $15. (310) 391-1519.

FREEBIES

A survey devoted to Los Angeles artist Patrick Hogan opens Saturday at Otis Gallery, Otis College of Art and Design, 9045 Lincoln Blvd., Westchester, with a reception from 6-8 p.m. Ends Feb. 10. Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (310) 665-6905.

Music and dancing will accompany decorated boats circling Marina del Rey’s main channel during the Tournament of Lights Holiday Boat Parade, Burton Chace Park, west end of Mindanao Way, Marina del Rey. 6-8 p.m. (310) 822-9455.