For a love story to be a compelling drama, the lovers usually die, separate, or kiss at the end. “Children of a Lesser God,” which was performed Sunday by Cleveland Signstage Theatre at the Maine Center for the Arts in Orono, has a much more ambiguous ending.

Its subject — the relationship between a woman who is deaf and her hearing husband, who is a speech teacher at a school for the deaf — has no formulaic solutions or easy answers. What is the best way to bridge the gap between hearing and deaf people? Whose responsibility is it — the deaf or the hearing — to make sure that gap is bridged? And can love make it all better?

Mark Medoff’s play, which opened in 1980 in Los Angeles and moved on to Broadway and several Tony Awards, takes on a mind-boggling number of issues concerning deaf culture. It exposes the general ignorance of many hearing people toward those who are deaf. It shows how easy and how difficult it can be to communicate in two different languages. And it raises a flag of deaf pride.

Certainly, the most interesting character in the play is Sara, played in this production by Antoinette Abbamonte (who is deaf), and popularized in the 1986 film by Marlee Matlin. Sara is stubborn, angry and intelligent, a combination that has kept her from engaging in the world but that also makes her complex and attractive.

In the lead role, Abbamonte was absolutely engaging. Her monologue, which is a testimonial letter that she hopes will be delivered in a courtroom, was the most amazing moment of the production. Her physical verve and grace grabbed on tightly to the heart of the audience and gave a powerful squeeze.

Brian Kapell, who played opposite Abbamonte in the role of James, had a tendency to over- emote. Sometimes the result was humorous, but often it was annoyingly sentimental and overdone. In too many ways, this play is more about James than it is about deaf culture or communication, and Kapell emphasized that at every turn in a fashion that was both tiring and distracting.

The rest of the cast, which included hearing and deaf performers, added to the play’s effectiveness. John Kinstler, Rachel Hollander, Miles Barnes, Stella Antonio and Erin Foltz (who lives in Portland when she’s not on tour) shared the jobs of signing and speaking with aplomb and style.

Even though the show lasted for more than three hours, as a performance piece it was as provoking visually as emotionally. Each time one character spoke, another actor stood nearby and signed the thoughts. Also, several members of the cast gave a pre-show Q-and-A session that was informative and thoughtful.