"This isn't supposed to be a love story," Kim Schultz promised from the stage of the Mile Square Theatre on Wednesday night, as she launched into the first Hoboken performance of No Place Called Home, her emotionally powerful one-woman show about Iraqi refugees.

Schultz, a New York actress who traveled to Lebanon, Syria and Jordan at the invitation of the humanitarian group Intersections International, wrote the show based on conversations she had with Iraqis living in refugee camps in neighboring countries. According to estimates provided by Intersections International, as many as 4 million refugees say they cannot return home to Iraq, either because they were victimized or were threatened with violence.

The play enjoyed a successful run in traditional intimate New York venues, and received a favorable review in The New York Times, but Schultz and her producer, Joseph Parlagreco, were also interested in staging the show in a New Jersey location. Parlagreco said that they wanted a venue outside of the city for a test run before embarking on what they hope is a national tour.

"Most of our New York audience is tourists and local street traffic," he explained. "But we wanted to find a laboratory outside of the city where we could experiment."

"We think this is a great space in a fantastic location," Parlagreco said about the Mile Square Theatre, located on the second floor of the Monroe Center. "A beautiful little theater and an undiscovered gem."

Parlagreco, who lives in Jersey City, called the Hudson Theater Alliance, but while he negotiating with them for a location, Mile Square Theatre Artistic Director Chris O'Connor, who had seen a previous performance, contacted the production to arrange a run in his playhouse.

"This is a great show," O'Connor said after the performance. "Hopefully we'll get some good crowds."

Accompanying Schultz was acclaimed vocalist Amikaeyla Gaston, who provided live music and sound effects. The two praised the Mile Square Theatre and Hoboken as a show location.

"I really feel like this space is very warm and acoustically energizing," Gaston noted, "and I think people got a lot out of it in this space, more than they probably did in our last space"

"This is a lovely space, I'm really happy to be here," Schultz concurred. "We're hoping that Hoboken comes out and supports it."

Onstage Schultz alternated between recalling her impressions of visiting the Middle East, including joking about the sometimes too generous hospitality of the natives, and by slipping into different characters, complete with accents and a head scarf, of a widowed mother, a desperate father, and a thirteen year old boy who had to discontinue school to provide for his family. All are refugees with harrowing tales.

"These people are real," Parlagreco advised before the show, "and their stories are true."

Schultz also framed the character monologues by retelling of an encounter she had with an attractive refugee named Omar.

Wait, hold on, who's Omar? So is the show a love story after all?

You'll have to find out for yourself.

No Place Called Home continues its run with 7:30 shows Thursday through Saturday, and a 2pm matinee on Sunday. Contact the Mile Square Theatre for ticket information.

About Town is a quick look at the not-quite-news but still-neat happenings that occur in Hoboken all the time. Seen something wacky, wild, cute, cuddly, funny or fun? Got an incidental observation or a minor celebration? Shoot it to alanskontra@hotmail.com. We want pictures too.

Last time for Tee Shirt Time

Reminding you that The Jersey Shore wraps up it second season on MTV tonight at 10 p.m. Those crazy kids will be back for season 3 soon enough, but until then make sure you continue to follow The Situation's advice for always looking good, and keep visiting those gyms, tanning salons and laundries every day. This is Hoboken, after all, and we have plenty of good ones to choose from.

So what are we missing? Openings, closings, winners, losers or just plain strange, drop us a note, alanskontra@hotmail.com. And check back often.