If you remember, as a young student, puzzling over why so much fuss was made over the works of Anton Chekhov, you’re not alone.

According to Dina Dodina — dramaturg and assistant director for the Maly Drama Theater of St. Petersburg’s production of “Uncle Vanya,” coming to Ann Arbor courtesy of the University Musical Society — Russian students are usually 13 when introduced to the revered playwright/author, and the general response is, “It’s so boring!”

“Even the teachers would agree and say things like, ‘Yes, it’s boring, but you need to read it to pass your exams,’” said Dodina. “When you’re 13, the idea of not living the life you wanted is not really an issue you relate to.”

Yet this notion is at the heart of “Uncle Vanya,” which begins when a professor and his young, beautiful wife (Yelena) travel to the family’s remote country estate. The professor’s dowdy, grown daughter from a previous marriage, and his brother-in-law Vanya, have long maintained the estate; but when Vanya becomes smitten with Yelena, and the professor talks about possibly selling the estate, frustration, regrets, and confessions surface.

“Chekhov’s stories don’t generally have crimes of passion or something flashy in them,” said Dodina. “They describe things that happen to real people. … If Shakespeare analyzes extremities, then Chekhov quite cold-bloodedly analyzes the grind of everyday life. What makes us carry on. … So that we recognize that just living 1 day after the other can be as brave as slaying dragons.”

PREVIEW “Uncle Vanya” Who: Maly Drama Theater of St. Petersburg, presented by University Musical Society. What: Anton Chekhov’s tragicomic masterpiece of dashed dreams, thwarted love and eternal longing begins when a professor and his beautiful, young wife visit the family’s remote country estate, maintained by the professor’s grown daughter (from his first marriage) and his brother-in-law, Vanya. The play will be performed in Russian, with English supertitles. Where: Power Center, 121 Fletcher Street. When: Thursday-Saturday, March 25-27, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, March 28 at 2 p.m. How much: $18-$56. Information: 734-764-2538 or visit the League Ticket Office at 911 North University Avenue.

Maly Drama Theater opened its celebrated, acclaimed production of “Vanya” in 2003, and the repertory company has since toured 16 countries with the show.

Dodina explained that Maly’s performers, once they’re hired, generally spend their entire career with the company; and although the production is performed entirely in Russian — with supertitles usually at both sides and just above the action on stage, so the eye never has to travel far from the actors — Dodina noted that “language has not been a barrier.”

“If the show is good, it’s good in any language,” said Dodina.

Nonetheless, a subtle cultural distinction arises when discussing the play’s title. While an American might wonder why Chekhov called the play “Uncle Vanya,” thus highlighting one character as the focal point, a Russian, according to Dodina, would likely see the title and think, “Oh, he’s somebody’s uncle. And if he’s somebody’s uncle, he’s somebody’s brother, and all these people are interlinked. It’s a story of a family.”

Watch the opening scene of Maly Drama Theater's production of “Uncle Vanya”:

And while Vanya’s longing and regret is a key component of the play, there are many times when he’s neither on stage, nor part of the ongoing conversation.

“He might be the protagonist, and the first to say, ‘Oh, look, I’ve lived my life not the way I wanted to, … but by the end, everyone is talking about how they’ve lived not the way they wanted.”

Dodina thinks Chekhov — a doctor who died of tuberculosis at 44 — had unique insights about the human condition because his job, and his own illness, forced him to confront the reality of mortality daily.

And as the dramaturg for “Vanya,” she made discoveries about the play.

“The 1st discovery was not evident at beg, but after doing a reading with the actors, … we decided (the script) is perfect as it is,” said Dodina. “We didn’t cut a single line.

“I think another discovery was about how sexy Chekhov can be. … Not that characters are running around ripping their clothes off. But they’re all talking about how much longing they feel, how much they want to be happy, and how much they want to be loved. It’s a very intimate play for us. And that’s the mind set of our cast.”

Jenn McKee is the entertainment digital journalist for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at jennmckee@annarbor.com or 734-623-2546, and follow her on Twitter @jennmckee.