One Short Day

"One Short Day" is the 9th song in the musical Wicked. It takes place during the "Emerald City" scene, where the two witches (Glinda and Elphaba) first go to the City to meet the Wizard.

The song includes many different costumes and characters but ultimately ends with the two girls going to meet the Wizard.^[1]

Plot

The song starts with Elphaba leaving for the Emerald City, with Fiyero and Galinda watching. Galinda, trying to impress Fiyero, changes her name to Glinda in honor of the beloved Doctor Dillamond, who mispronounced her name that way. When Fiyero isn't impressed, Elphaba invites "Glinda" to the Emerald City to cheer her up.

The two girls roam the city, declaring their delight and that they "belong there"; Elphaba being green, and Glinda being grand. They are dazzled by the wonders of the City. They then see the show "Wizomania", a show about the Wizard. The song ends with Elphaba and Glinda affirming their friendship and being invited to see the Wizard.

Set design

The set for this scene is very simple. There is a green "OZ" sign at the back surrounded by other green lights. The cast (except for Glinda and Elphaba) are all dressed in green. When Glinda and Elphaba go to see the show-within-the show, a green curtain descends from the rafters.

Commentary by Stephen Schwartz (as said in "Wicked The Grimmerie")

Stephen Schwartz said that this was the third song written for Wicked. He wanted this to be one of the "fun" songs in the musical. It was supposed to be like "two girls spending a day in Paris".

References