Cosentino (illusionist)
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Paul Cosentino (born 2 November 1982) known mononymously by his stage name Cosentino, is an Australian illusionist and escapologist.[1]
Early life
[edit]Cosentino's mother was a school principal and his father was a civil and structural engineer. As a child, he found a magic book in a library which fascinated him, but, due to his learning difficulties, his mother had to explain the contents of the book to him while he looked at the pictures.[2] One time when he was 13, he and his mother got locked out of the house. In order to get inside, Cosentino picked the locks. After being successful, he practised picking locks, a skill he'd use in his magic performances. Cosentino attended Wesley College, Melbourne, during his high school years.[3]
Career
[edit]His first television appearance was on the Australian variety show Hey Hey It's Saturday when he was still in high school, for which he won prize money.[2]
On 17 February 2010 Cosentino, in honor of Harry Houdini's jump off Queen's Bridge in Melbourne on the same day in 1910, performed a tribute underwater escape act. He was shackled to a 60 kg concrete block and sunk to the bottom of the main tank in the Melbourne Aquarium. He was surrounded by various fish, sharks and rays, and had to free himself from using only a lock pick. Cosentino planned to complete the escape in 2 minutes 30 seconds, but due to problems with a padlock and his belly chain, the escape took 3 minutes 39 seconds.[4]
Cosentino auditioned in Melbourne for Australia's Got Talent with an illusion routine. He advanced in the competition after earning praise from the judges. In the preliminary finals, he performed an escape act, in which he had to pick 9 locks while completely submerged in a tank of water suspended above the ground. The escape took 1 minute 45 seconds. For the semi-final Cosentino performed an illusion routine, disappearing and reappearing in military style dance. In the finale, Cosentino escaped from a straitjacket while suspended from his ankles, six meters above the ground, inside a jaws-like apparatus. These jaws were held open by a single piece of rope that was set on fire for the act. Cosentino had to escape before the rope burned through and the jaws snapped around his ankle with over 200 kg of force. Overall, Cosentino came second in the 2011 series of Australia's Got Talent, losing out to Jack Vidgen.[5][6]
Cosentino performed at Carols in the Domain in Sydney for magic tricks and arrival of Santa Claus.[7]
He won Dancing With The Stars on 26 November 2013, along with his dancing partner Jessica Raffa.[8]
Cosentino has appeared in 3 Magic, The Mystery, The Madness episodes where he performed Illusions, Escapes and Street Magic on the Streets of Melbourne and Sydney.[9]
Cosentino appeared at the Asia's Got Talent result show where he performed a disappearing act.[10]
Cosentino competed in America's Got Talent: The Champions in 2019. He did not advance to the finals.[11]
Cosentino appeared as an intruder in the sixth season of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! Australia in 2020.[12]
In October 2016 Cosentino published his first book titled Anything is Possible: The Magic, The Mystery, The Life (2016). In the book he talks about his mind patterns and inspirations and how they helped him in his illusion career.[13]
He played himself in the 2017 Jackie Chan film Bleeding Steel.
References
[edit]- ^ McManus, David (10 January 2023). "Australia's most successful magician, Cosentino brings Decennium tour to Adelaide • Glam Adelaide". Glam Adelaide. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
- ^ a b Cranston, Amanda (30 April 2023). "How a book about magic transformed a young Paul Cosentino into the ultimate showman". ABC News. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
- ^ "A grand illusionist's dream". Wesley College. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
- ^ Quinn, Karl (16 February 2010). "Cosentino pulls off the great escape". The Age. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
- ^ "Teen singer wins Australia's Got Talent, banks $250,000 prize". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2 August 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- ^ "The Magical Decade of Cosentino". Rolling Stone Australia. 13 November 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
- ^ Cosentino - Carols in the Domain 2011-1, retrieved 28 April 2023
- ^ Clarke, Jenna (26 November 2013). "Dancing With The Stars win goes to Cosentino, beating Tina Arena and Rhiannon Fish". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- ^ "Magic, mystery and madness". Nation Thailand. 28 July 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
- ^ Tomada, Nathalie. "How magic turned Cosentino's life around". Philstar. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
- ^ "Cosentino is returning to the Australia's Got Talent stage". 7NEWS. 20 September 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
- ^ Whitehead, Mat (12 January 2020). "I'm A Celebrity 2020: Illusionist Paul Cosentino Appears In Camp With A Few Tricks Up His Sleeve". 10 Daily. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ Cosentino (2016). Anything is possible. Hazel Flynn. Sydney, N.S.W. ISBN 978-1-4607-5134-3. OCLC 951417522.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
External links
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