Singer Collapses at Arts Center

One of the stars performing in Puccini’s opera “Manon Lescaut” at the Orange County Performing Arts Center collapsed on stage Saturday night, authorities said.

Costa Mesa Fire Department paramedics rushed to the center to treat a singer who fainted about 8:45 p.m., according to a city fire dispatcher. The dispatcher declined to identify the performer, and officials at the center could not be reached for comment.

One patron said the woman was in mid-song when she suddenly slumped to the floor. As the singer lay still, an assistant stage manager hurriedly walked onto the stage.

“They said, ‘Somebody get her a doctor!” said patron Geta Furst, of Beverly Hills. “And a doctor sitting behind us ran on stage.”

The singer was taken to a local hospital for treatment, but did not suffer any serious injury, the Costa Mesa fire dispatcher said.

“She’s fine,” said the dispatcher. “Apparently, she had been ill, and it was a little too much.”