Based on the hit 1990 romantic fantasy thriller film of the same name, it centres on lovers Sam and Molly, who are attacked as they are returning to their apartment.

Desperate, Sam then seeks out a psychic, Oda Mae Brown, who seems to be a total fraud ("Are You a Believer?").

Static is heard and Molly changes the station, but as she turns the dial, "Unchained Melody" suddenly plays.

At the bank, Oda Mae poses as "Rita Miller," the fictional owner of the account that Carl was extorting.

After being handed a check for the amount in the closed account, around four million dollars, Oda Mae tries to take the money and leave the situation for good ("I'm Outta Here").

Oda Mae lets Sam use her body to hold Molly and comfort her ("Unchained Melody (Dance)") Carl arrives, armed, desperate, and frightened for life, as he owes dangerous drug dealers money.

[2][4] Cast members included Richard Fleeshman as Sam Wheat, Caissie Levy as Molly Jensen, Sharon D. Clarke as Oda Mae Brown and Andrew Langtree as Carl Bruner.

[5] The production began previews at the Piccadilly Theatre in the West End on 24 June 2011, with an official opening night gala on 19 July.

Reviews for the opening night performance were mixed, although the special effects were praised by critics for their ingenuity and skill.

[7] The musical opened on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on 23 April 2012, following previews from 15 March[8] Directed by Matthew Warchus, original stars Richard Fleeshman and Caissie Levy reprised their roles, with newcomers Da'Vine Joy Randolph (Oda Mae) and Bryce Pinkham (Carl).

According to Levy, "[For the Broadway production], emotional moments in the show have been fine-tuned, a line or two has been changed here or there...a couple of songs have been replaced, some characters have been tweaked.

The Bill Kenwright production then toured the whole of the UK, starting on 8 January 2019 at Churchill Theatre, Bromley.

"[19] An UK tour produced again by Bill Kenwright kicked off on 22 August 2024 at the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, starring Josh St. Clair as Sam Wheat, Rebekah Lowings as Molly Jenson, Jacqui Dubois as Oda Mae Brown, and James Mateo-Salt as Carl Brunner.

The cast featured Steven Grant Douglas as Sam, Katie Postotnik as Molly, Robby Haltiwanger as Carl, and Carla R. Stewart as Oda Mae Brown.

[22] The show eventually had an Australian premiere in 2016, opening in Adelaide before touring to Melbourne, Sydney and Perth.

[26] An Asian tour was launched in 2015 in which starred Liam Doyle as Sam, Lucie Jones as Molly, and Andrew Langtree as Carl.

The production starred Riccardo Greco as Sam, Anaïs Lueken as Molly, Peter Lewys Preston as Carl and Ana Milva Gomes [de] as Oda Mae.

The Russian premiere of Ghost took place on 7 October 2017 at the Moscow Youth Palace, starring Pavel Levkin as Sam, Galina Bezruk as Molly and Marina Ivanova as Oda Mae.

[31] The production starred Mikkel Moltke Hvilsom as Sam, Frederikke Vedel as Molly, Johannes Nymark as Carl, and Sara Gadborg as Oda Mae.

The play will star Kenji Urai as Sam, Koki Mizuta as Carl, and Kumiko Mori as Oda Mae.

[34] On 1 October 2024, a concert performance played at the Adelphi Theatre in London's West End with a cast featuring Lucie Jones as Molly and Oliver Tompsett as Sam.

In November 2010, four original songs from the musical were made available online from recording sessions at the Abbey Road Studios and the Manchester Exchange Theatre.

The screenings were called 'Live & Unchained: The Facebook Sessions' and gave the world the first chance to hear the original songs.

On the album, "Unchained Melody (Dance)" and "Finale" (labeled as "The Love Inside") are edited into one track.

Charles Isherwood, in his review of the Broadway production for The New York Times, called the musical a "thrill-free singing theme-park ride" and went on to write that "the show relies mostly on elaborate video imagery, modestly ingenious special effects and the familiarity of its ectoplasmic romance to entertain."

Further, he believes that the musical has "innocuous, forgettable pop songs..."[10] The New York Daily News reviewer wrote that the "gee-whiz illusions (a specter seemingly walks through a door, for instance), lavish light displays and supersized projections are the main attractions of this English import.

The love story gets swamped by numerous scenes and robotic dance numbers about New York’s frantic fast-paced corporate jungle.

"[11] In a more positive vein, the "talkinbroadway.com" reviewer wrote "Librettist-lyricist Bruce Joel Rubin ... and composer-lyricists Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard have written one of the finest film-to-stage adaptations in current memory, which Matthew Warchus has directed with energy and passion.

Add in a better-than-necessary cast led by U.K. actor Richard Fleeshman and Caissie Levy ... both of whom originated their roles in London, and you have an evening that startles with just how good it is.

But it positively glows by the standards of all this Broadway season's new offerings and the likes of most other recent movie-inspired outings.