OPERA and comedy don’t at first glance have much in common, but for Jonathan Veira the two are all in a day’s work.

The international opera star, who’s used to treading the boards of the English National Opera, Glyndebourne and the Royal Opera House, turns his hand to humour for a one-man show, which he is bringing to Basildon and Southend.

The show is a combination of gags, songs and stories as Jonathan explores life onstage and off in his routine.

He explains: “I’m just your humble, everyday international opera megastar.

“I was born and bred in North London and I was into rock’n’roll. I wanted to do that, so that’s how I started out.

“At my first singing lesson at uni the teacher, who I thought was a bit weird because I was into Billy Joel and Elton John, clubs and pubs were my style, said, ‘Sing this scale’.

“I sang the scale and she went home to her husband and said, ‘I’ve found my international opera singer, but it’s no good because he’s too lazy to do anything’.”

But Jonathan did pull his socks up and was soon winning roles, and making a name for himself in the opera world.

The comedy comes naturally to him as he’s used to playing humourous parts. He admits he’s always been a joker, taking the mick out of teachers at school to get a rise out of classmates.

He says: “With the opera I do all the comedy roles. People come in and they laugh, raucously, you wouldn’t expect that in an opera.”

Although his Christian faith has always played a part in his life, a near-death experience made him reconsider its importance to him and he now sees its as integral to his life and work.

“In 1989 I got very ill,” he explains. “I nearly died. I had viral encephalitis, which I can only describe as your brain filling up with pus.

“It put me in a coma. It kills most people and if it doesn’t it disables them for life. It’s a very severe illness .

“My faith has been important to me, but before that it was not that important. It was kind of a tag on.”

But the miraculous recovery attracted attention from Songs of Praise, who interviewed Jonathan, which led to him working regularly with the programme.

He says: “Faith isn’t about very serious people doing serious things, it’s just about life.

“It’s about living in the community and all the things Jesus said, whatever’s good and holy and fun. Life in all its fullness that’s what it’s about.

“Laughing when it’s funny, crying when it’s sad, loving good food, loving your wife and kids and your friends and sharing that as much as you can.”

Jonathan, 50, says the key to his one-man shows is that he tries to bring something for everyone.

He explains: “My secret is I always want to make sure everyone in the room feels there was something for them.

“So I keep going until everyone has been fed. I’ll think, ‘Oh they’re a bit older I’ll do this song for them. He’s quite young, I’ll do a story for him’. It’s that desire to keep people entertained.”

Jonathan Veira Wed, Jan 19 £10, 8pm Towngate Theatre, St Martin’s Square, Basildon.

01268 412016 Sat, Jan 29 £10, 7.30pm Plaza Centre, Southchurch Road, Southend.

01702 582468 01702 582994 Basildon show proceeds go to St Luke’s Hospice and the Southend show to Christ Church, Southchurch.