Australia's world-renowned magician, Paul Cosentino is returning to the stage to perform his brand new show, 'Deception', and will be coming to the Shoalhaven in November.
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Grab your tickets quick though, because one of the two shows has already sold out.
Cosentino is one of the world's most decorated magicians winning multiple Merlin Awards - the highest distinction in the magic industry as well as being named, International Magician of The Year and International Escape Artist of The Year.
The South Coast Register caught up with Cosentino ahead of his upcoming tour to discuss his career, his magic and why rural Australia means so much to him.
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The magician first picked up magic at the age of 12, when he stumbled across a magic book in the library.
"Believe it or not I was a very shy kid and very introverted," he said.
"I actually had a lot of learning difficulties at a young age and didn't learn to read until I was 12 but I learned from this magic book."
Cosentino, said it was the book's beautiful pictures and posters of famous magicians such as Houdini that captivated his mind, with the back of the book having a how to guide for several magic tricks.
"I learned a few of the tricks and showed my father who's an engineer and I managed to baffle him," he said.
"All of a sudden there was this rush. I could do something that my father, who I considered a genius, could not. For a kid who was struggling this was really powerful stuff."
From here Cosentino was hooked, finally finding something that he was good at and his dedication to his craft caused him to get good very quickly.
He rose to prominence for his performance on the fifth season of Australia's Got Talent in 2011. Even though he was lauded as an "overnight success story", the then 28-year-old had been working diligently behind the scenes for many years having performed five national tours.
In his audition, he was immediately put through by the judges with his dramatic flair and stage presence being described by the judges as "Michael Jackson makes magic."
Cosentino ended up coming second overall in the competition losing out to singer Jack Vidgen. From this point it was all up for the hard-working magician.
As of 2022 the magician has written, produced and starred in nine television specials and is the only Australian magician to have his own television show.
Speaking on the preparation behind a tour, it is evident the work that goes into making the magic happen.
"It usually takes two years to put together a show and even then it has to be broken in," he said.
"Each illusion usually takes about three months of preparation."
"Coming up with the idea, storyboarding it, getting it fabricated, testing it, then adding the choreography, costumes, lighting, sound and boom three months for two minutes."
The magician further added that nothing ever works when you first do it with the hit rate being incredibly low.
"Then you put it in front of a live audience and you're like it's not really doing what I want it do. Before you know it another year has passed before you've broken it in and by then you're at the end of your tour."
His shows are full of energy with dance and music playing a large role to bring the magic and illusions to life.
Cosentino is in fact a decorated dancer, winning Dancing With the Stars back in 2013.
The magician said the reactions of the audience continue to be the thing that brings him the most enjoyment when performing in front of a crowd.
"People's faces, their reactions, them laughing, gasping or just being utterly bewildered," he said.
"Or if I begin to tell a story about my mum and I see mothers look at their children, it's all that beautiful stuff, it's just really moving."
"I don't take it for granted and that's why everything we do is so methodical and so thought out because we want to bring that experience to the audience."
The magician's new tour 'Deception' will be coming to the Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre in November and Consentino said he can't wait to perform in the Shoalhaven.
"I started my career travelling around the country, performing wherever I was able to and I've been doing that for a very long time."
In his first TV special, of the 2.1 million viewers, 800,000 were from country towns and cities.
"They were so surprised I remember and I was like well I did tour all those towns for 15 years," he said.
"We started regionally again back in 2019 because the audiences are always so appreciative they get to see this type of show."
"We have got two shows lined up and I'm so grateful that there is that type of demand here in the Shoalhaven. I'm very excited."
As Cosentino nears his 40th birthday, he says the love is what keeps him going after all these years, because it has never been about the business side of things.
"I genuinely love what I do and having laid a lot of the paths that now exist for magicians in Australia it obviously hasn't always been an easy journey," he said.
"I've been breaking down barriers for such a long time that if I wasn't passionate about what I did and wholeheartedly love it, I wouldn't be here right now."
"Magic has allowed me to be the person I am today, it's engrained in my DNA."
Cosentino will perform at the Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre on Saturday November 19 and Sunday November 20.
You can find more information here.