JOHN VARI

VARI--John,

Owner/Producer and Creative Director of the Hampton Playhouse, Dies. John Vari, the producer and creative force behind New England's renowned Hampton Playhouse died of natural causes in New York City on September 22, 2017. He had a celebrated life as an actor, director, playwright and mentor. Born in Manhattan on June 7, 1925, Mr. Vari served in the Navy during WWII as a naval photographer, attended NYU studying sculpture then later received a MA from Columbia University in speech pathology. A lifelong highlight for him was being a part of Lincoln Center's Actors Studio with notables including Elia Kazan, Harold Clurman, and Arthur Miller. During college, he met his partner Alfred Christie. In 1950 they opened the Hampton Playhouse on the New Hampshire coast. Under their aegis for over fifty years, the union summer theater produced some four hundred plays and musicals. John's reputation as a consummate man of the theater drew many of the starriest talents of the day from Broadway and Hollywood to perform there. He acted and/or directed countless productions at Hampton, in New York City and Los Angeles. His many screen appearances included "The Last Mile" opposite Mickey Rooney. As a playwright his play "Farewell, Farewell Eugene" which starred Academy Award Winner Dame Margaret Rutherford ran on Broadway at the Helen Hayes Theater. John is survived by his sister Rose, his dear friend Matthew Halvorsen and his wife Christine and their two children, as well as many nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and nephews. A memorial service/celebration of his life will be held on Sunday October 15 from 11am-1:00pm at Crestwood Funeral Services, 199 Bleecker St, New York, NY. In lieu of flowers, contributions via www.stjude.org are encouraged.