BEST BETS Saturday 11/25

COSTA MESA

9pm

Pop Music

O.C. garage-rock heroes Busstop Hurricanes blow into Club Mesa to help shake off post-Thanksgiving lethargy. The Fullerton band plays a brand of raw rock once described in these pages as sounding as though “Jim Morrison’s dark spirit has invited itself to nestle within Phil Alvin’s blues-screaming skull.”

* Busstop Hurricanes, Club Mesa, 843 W. 19th St., Costa Mesa. With Diablo 44. 9 p.m. (949) 642-8448.

COSTA MESA

7:30pm

Theater

‘Tis the season again for South Coast Repertory’s signature production of “A Christmas Carol.” This will be the 21st annual presentation of the theater’s custom adaptation of the Dickens classic, with Hal Landon Jr., the only Scrooge in the production’s history, back for another round of bah-humbugging, terrified self-examination and jolly transformation. Previews begin Saturday. Regular performances start Wednesday.

* “A Christmas Carol.” South Coast Repertory, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.; matinees Saturdays, 2:30, and Sundays, noon and 4 p.m. Through Dec. 24. $17 to $41. (714) 708-5555.

NEWPORT BEACH

10am

Art

The Newport Harbor Nautical Museum will present the first comprehensive exhibition of paintings by Rex Brandt since the Southern California artist died in March. “Wind, Water and Light, the Legacy of Rex Brandt” is a collection of more than 40 oils and watercolors. Brandt was known for his light-filled landscapes and pristine vistas of Southern California before postwar development.

* “Wind, Water and Light, the Legacy of Rex Brandt,” Newport Harbor Nautical Museum, Grand Salon, 151 E. Coast Highway, Newport Beach. Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Through Feb. 28. Free. (949) 673-7863.