For Cosentino, performing is more than just a job. It’s a craft that he spends hours upon hours honing.
From every word he says, to the way he positions himself on stage during his performance — Cosentino designs his show in what he describes as “layers”, always thinking about how he can make his next show better than the last.
Now, he’s bringing that show to Shepparton in what will be the tour of all tours — all of his best rolled into one — called Decennium - The Greatest Hits Tour.
This week, The News caught up with Cosentino to chat about the show and his career as a performer.
“This show has all of my favourite pieces, which is exciting for me doing things I love, and it’s been very well received with lots of people coming to the shows, and we’ve been putting on extra shows,” Cosentino said.
“If you’ve seen me before, you get the best parts of the show, and if you haven’t seen me do a show before, your socks are blown off — you’re seeing the best of the best.”
Each layer of his show has been carefully curated with every movement and act designed to capture the attention of his audience, a process Cosentino said was one of his favourite parts of the show.
“When I create a new show, I like the creative process — getting an idea and executing it,” Cosentino said.
“I don’t see it as a business, I see it as being a creative, an artist and taking a lot of pride in trying different things.
“I might do a line differently — if it doesn’t work, I rearrange it; if I perform a trick faster here and then another time, I might slow it down to see what happens.
“I also love being on stage and performing — I love watching people gasp and laugh and being inspired.”
From the first time he stepped out on the Australia’s Got Talent stage in 2011, Cosentino’s fame rose exponentially to the point where he’s now become a household name, not just across Australia but the world.
Cosentino said it still catches him off guard when he looks back over those years to where he is now and finds it amazing how his fans span various generations.
“There are older people that watched me on Australia’s Got Talent 12 years ago, maybe when they were in their 40s, and the younger generation who are now older and working say, I remember you as a kid, which is so cool and now I’m hitting the younger generation with my shows,” he said.
“One day, I’m going to be old and still doing it because I love it.
“The audience can see it’s genuine and that I’m happy to be there because I really am.”
Before Australia’s Got Talent, Cosentino was already making his way around regional Australia as early as 2005, appearing in schools, shopping centres and small theatres.
So it wasn’t unusual that even after making it big, Cosentino returned to regional tours because it never felt quite like a tour until he visited the rest of the country.
“That’s why I love doing these shows — I see this as a tour,” he said.
“When I started touring, the promoter would only take me to the five major cities and within six weeks, you’d have finished the tour, and I would think, what about the rest of the country?”
“When I rewind the clock and think how far I’ve come, I just feel gratitude.
“I loved it before making a dollar and love it after making a dollar; nothing has changed for me.”
Currently, he’s making his way down from Dubbo through regional NSW and will hit the stages of Riverlinks Eastbank on Saturday, February 17, at 7.30pm.
Tickets start at $76.90. To purchase tickets, visit the Riverlinks website, their box office at 70 Welsford St, Shepparton, or call 5832 9511.
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