My Perfect Weekend with Australian magician Cosentino
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Cosentino (left) with fiancee Priscilla Stavrou shopping in July 2023.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF PAUL COSENTINO
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Who: Escape artist and illusionist Cosentino rose to fame when he came in second on reality TV show Australia’s Got Talent in 2011. He went on to win the Merlin – the highest accolade in the magic industry – from the International Magicians Society for Most Original Magician in 2012, International Magician of the Year in 2013 and Escape Artist of the Year in 2015.
The Melbourne-based magician will be in Singapore for Cosentino: Decennium – The Greatest Live Magic Show, featuring death-defying escapes, stage illusions and street magic, at Marina Bay Sands’ Sands Theatre from Aug 24 to Sept 3, with tickets starting at $58.
He previously staged Cosentino: Anything Is Possible in 2017 at the same venue.
The 40-year-old Australian is engaged to Australian musical theatre performer Priscilla Stavrou, 35, who will be joining him on stage in Decennium.
“My weekends change dramatically because I’m always travelling for my shows.
But if I’m in Melbourne, I start my Saturdays at a big, old-school gym, Dohertys Gym, in Melbourne’s central business district, only 10 minutes from where I live. I do a five-way split of different muscle groups at the gym between chest, back and biceps, calves, shoulders and abs. I like to shift the routine around to keep things fresh.
I’ll meet my fiancee Priscilla at Code Black Coffee, just down the road from Doherty’s Gym, for breakfast and we usually get chilli scrambled eggs or avocado on toast, and a cappuccino.
Afterwards, we go home to shower and get organised for the day. We might have work or family functions – I have six nieces and nephews – but if we have the day to ourselves, we like to go out to the city to shop and run some errands to get organised for the following week.
I love shopping for sneakers. The Secret Sneaker Store in Melbourne Central mall has a great collection of high-end designer sneakers and rare Nike Air Jordan 1s. I also like KicksTW at Royal Arcade where there are sneakers and streetwear from different labels in one place. Lately, I’ve been into the Air Jordan 1s and New Balance 574s because they are comfortable and versatile.
I also love collecting books, especially those on photography, which is one of my other passions besides magic. I usually head to Paperback Bookshop in Bourke Street. Not many bookshops have photography books, but Paperback Bookshop has a rare collection. Recently, I’ve been enjoying The Dirty Side Of Glamour by Los Angeles-based photographer Tyler Shields.
Usually by this time, we would head to lunch at one of the many cafes in Melbourne. We like to go to Brunetti, which is inspired by coffee shops you would see in Italy. It has pizza slices, all kinds of pastries and excellent coffee.
We also like to go to the National Gallery of Victoria. It always has different exhibitions on. Once, it held an exhibition on the history of film where it showed how many early film-makers such as Georges Melies and the Lumiere brothers started off as magicians.
When I’m walking around the city, I like to whip out my camera to do some street photography. I’m in a photography club that meets on the first weekend of every month. Sometimes, people recognise me, but usually I’m in a hoodie. I love being behind the camera since I’m so used to being in front of it for work.
Cosentino (left) is engaged to fellow musical theatre performer Priscilla Stavrou, who will be joining him on stage in Singapore in Decennium.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF PAUL COSENTINO
It’s really lovely to be in the city because you get to observe other people. Audience participation is a big part of my magic. If I get someone who gives a dull reaction, it can dampen the effect. So you have to be very selective. Being behind the camera and watching how people interact help me to be a better judge of audiences.
For dinner, we might go home and cook. I’m not a very good cook – Priscilla’s the cook and I’m the cleaner. We might have fun making our own little pizzas, something more elaborate than a rushed weekday meal.
If we head out for dinner, we might visit Grill Americano, a classic Italian restaurant that knows how to make a good spaghetti and meatballs. For a fancier date night, we would go to Maha, which does modern Middle Eastern fine dining.
The last time I visited Singapore was in 2019 to visit Priscilla when she was in the Aladdin musical at Marina Bay Sands as part of the ensemble cast. Singapore’s the best – the people are great, the shopping is great, the food is great. If I have time off, I’m looking forward to eating at Cut by Wolfgang Puck again. It has really expensive but delicious steaks.”
