To give you an idea, this piece took me about 80 hours to learn how to play. The easiest parts are probably the introduction, and the slower part after the repeat. The hardest part of the piece is probably the section after the slower section. This section is played in e major which is supposed to be played quite fast.
Believe it or not, alot of this piece is just patterns. Chopin was not only a great composer, he was a clever one also. He wrote this piece in a way that makes it not so hard to play, if the patterns are found. There was a reason for writing it in B flat minor. One obvious reason is the triplets in the beginning of the piece are cake to play. Another reason is probably because its relative major (A flat major) is a nice key to play with, which alleviates the left hand as it plays the theme right after the first.
Be careful about taking out the so called repeat...it is in fact slightly changed the second time around. Chopin probably decided to repeat this because it was so carefully crafted and too beautiful to just play once. Yet he changes it up a little, so the repeat will fit right in.
If people will be bored listening, its because they don't appreciate this type of music anyway. Taking a repeat away will not change their mind of this type of music.
The best way to gain technique is by putting in your hours. Technique probably should come automatically, but it will not happen if you only play a few hours a week.
You also have to be motivated to play this piece....and be patient. Are you good at playing fast passages? The whole piece is pretty fast, and will be difficult for an amateur pianist to play, if your not used to moving your fingers with speed. Try finding patterns, that should really help you out with your playing, especially with fast passages.