Tbh I once tried to teach my wife Terraforming Mars and she fell asleep before the rules explanation even hit the halfway point, so I feel your pain. Splitting into two nights could work but you might end up as the only guy dragging a heavy box to a table for one. Maybe try a monthly heavy day once a month and keep the regular night light, that way the casual folks have a reason to come back. Two players is still a game though, so you're not dead yet.

Watched a guy in my town take a chainsaw to a silver maple because his wife wanted more sun for her garden, and that tree dropped limbs on his shed within three summers. The tree was doomed the moment the first cut happened, but no one could tell him otherwise because he was holding the checkbook. Sometimes the best thing you can do is put your refusal in writing and let them find someone else to swing the saw.