Magician & grand illusionist Cosentino comes to Geraldton

Sceptics and believers in magic alike will be spellbound when “grand illusionist” Cosentino brings his regional tour to Geraldton next month.

Cosentino toured to Geraldton back in 2008 before anyone really knew his name, and the award-winning magician is eager for locals to see his new show, Deception.

“It is good to be back and it is good to be bringing the show to the people,” he said. “The show is a combination of magic and illusions, meaning people are appearing and disappearing and levitating and being sawn in half, mixed with sleight of hand magic projected on to video screens and death-defying escapes and demonstrations.

“I introduce a steel plate in the show ... and you see me slowly melt into it.”

But Cosentino said the 90-minute production was “not just a magic show” and the audience could expect to receive an insight into the fascinating life and mind of a showman at the top of his game.

“I share my story about how I got interested in magic and how my mum nurtured my talent from a kid who was shy and introverted and couldn’t read to now being a bestselling children’s author,” he said.

“That is what I was craving as a child, to be inspired, and that’s what I want to share with others.”

Without any prominent Australian magicians to look up to, a young Cosentino looked to the likes of Harry Houdini and David Copperfield for inspiration. Through his success on reality shows like Australia’s Got Talent and his own international television specials, Cosentino said he had helped bring the craft of magic to a new audience.

“I have seen the art form grow because people like myself have had success and really pushed it forward,” he said.

“We have shown people how beautiful the art form is when it is executed correctly because for so long, the art form had been beaten down and didn’t really garner the respect the actors or singers or even sportspeople in Australia get. My take on it was to show people how great it is, how beautiful my craft is when it is done right, and I am still on that quest.”

Cosentino was heartbroken when the COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to live shows, saying he was thrilled at being able to provide a moment of “escapism” for Australians.

“Magic is my life, it is not just a passion, it is not just a craft,” he said.

Cosentino will perform at Queens Park Theatre on June 25.