From page to stage, and everywhere in between, Cosentino has delighted audiences with the magic of illusion and performance.
Ahead of his national 2023 'Decennium' Tour, Cosentino sat down to discuss the process of building 'Decennium', what audiences can expect, and sawing children in half.
“When magic is done correctly, it’s a beautiful art form and people get caught up in the fantasy, the same way you do with a great film,” Cosentino says.
As its namesake suggests, Cosentino’s 'Decennium' Tour is a celebration of a decade being known as Australia’s most successful and recognisable magician, illusionist, and escape artist – and marks the performer’s first national tour in three years, consisting of a slew of shows written, produced, and choreographed by Cosentino himself.
When asked about the process behind selecting his best of material over such an illustrious career since 'Australia’s Got Talent', Cosentino has this to say:
“The ['Decennium'] Tour is huge! We thought about what sets I’d bring, what would be included, what aspects I’d take from the nine television specials, what ones wouldn’t work, what I would take from the live shows. . . Not everything that was good on television will be good for live audiences.
“You can’t have it all be dramatic, dramatic, dramatic! You need highs and lows; sometimes that means doing something more intimate. I’ve built the show like a film, it’s all weaved together – there’s drama, danger, and heartfelt.”
“It’s been harder to build the 'Decennium' Tour than something from scratch.”
Cosentino’s trademark blend of dance and magic, with a touch of comedic audience participation, artfully breaks down cliché tropes for audiences young and old.
“I guess with traditional magic, most people think of a top hat and rabbits – it’s not what you’d expect, it hasn’t got any of those clichés. . . Well, there is one kind where we saw a child in half! Magic in its essence is a slightly bizarre art form – in a beautiful way. But the show is a family-oriented one, and that’s done in a way that’s fun, and engaging.”
“I always have a piece in the show that’s endearing, with a child. I invite the child up and I really include them in the magic, and create the magic around them, and they feel that they’re magical!”
As Australia’s first magician to have written, produced, and starred in nine highly successful prime-time specials – which were broadcast in over 40 countries, and seen by over 500 million people – this begged the question, would each city see the same show, or will there be on-tour alterations?
“Absolutely! We’re gonna have to re-dress certain material – not everything is going to sit nicely together, and when we put a new show together (even a show with old material) because the structure is different, as in the order, the show is completely different. So yes, we’ll be sliding things around, and no two shows will likely be the same.”
To wrap things up, we couldn't help but ask Cosentino the question on everyone’s lips – what is his favourite magical movie?
“'The Prestige' is. . . Not my favourite magic film, it’s my favourite film. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched it, but I literally watched it two days ago. It’s so good!”
Cosentino 2023 Australia Tour Dates
19 January – Civic Theatre (Newcastle)28 January – Crown Theatre (Perth)
4 February – Canberra Theatre
9-12 February – The Palms At Crown (Melbourne)
16 February – Adelaide Festival Theatre
23-25 February – Roslyn Packer Theatre (Sydney)
2 March – Empire Theatre (Toowoomba)
4 March – The Star Gold Coast
