Arena Stage's former literary manager John Glore returns to his old Washington, DC, stomping ground as a playwright, Jan. 11-Feb. 17, for the nonprofit theatre's staging of his On the Jump, based on a story by his wife, Amy Dunkleberger.

The play, on the Fichandler stage, is billed as a romance and focuses on a newlywed, Colleen Ferguson, who is robbed and abandoned by her husband on her wedding night. "Fate intervenes and sets her on a radically different path to happiness," according to the announcement. Opening night is Jan. 18.

"Like any traditional romance worth its salt, On the Jump is a complicated play that moves toward a deceptively simple 'happily ever after,'" explains director Wendy C. Goldberg, in production notes. "Love is the impetus which drives the characters on an extraordinary journey of discovery."

The quirky, chaotic play — full of mistaken identities, misdirected mail and ghostly apparitions — features Andrea Anders and David Barlow as Colleen and Albert, star-crossed lovers. The company includes Bernie Passeltiner, Victoria Boothby, John Dow, Holly Twyford, Naomi Jacobson and Michael Russotto.

Designers are Alexander Dodge (set), Anne Kennedy (costume), Michael Gilliam (lighting) and Timothy M. Thompson (sound). Playwright Glore left the Arena in 1984 and served as literary manager at South Coast Repertory Theatre for 16 years. Since July 2000 he has served as resident dramaturg for the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. On the Jump had its premiere at South Coast Rep in 1999. Glore's other plays include The Company of Heaven, The Morpheus Quartet and Preludes and Fugues.

Tickets range $27-$45. Arena Stage is at 1101 Sixth Street SW in Washington, DC. For information, call (203) 488 3300 for visit arenastage.org.

— By Kenneth Jones