January 12, 1996

WHEN the lights come up on the first scene, the Captain, ramrod-straight in the spotless uniform of a 19th-century Swedish cavalry officer, stands at the left of the stage as if frozen in mid-gesture. He appears to have no idea where he is or what he's about to do. His anxiety quickly passes, but it's an indelible moment. It's also enough time for Frank Langella to suggest what soon turns out to be stunningly true: his complete command over one of the most difficult and complex assignments in the modern theater. That is, the role of the obsessed husband and father in August Strindberg's mesmerizing and ferocious marriage play, "The Father." Though the Roundabout Theater Company production, which opened last night at the Criterion Center, has its perfunctory elements, "The Father" still has the power to astonish. Richard Nelson's new adaptation of the Swedish text speaks in clean, spare English prose, the kind that remains discreetly outside time without betraying the conventions of the period when the play was written (1887). Equally important, Mr. Langella's performance is a career triumph of the sort Broadway has seen only once before this season in something other than a megabuck musical.

She's at it again. Governor Whitman, who signed a personal record of 86 bills into law on Tuesday, signed one more today. The legislation will make New Jersey the 20th state to permit charter schools, which are privately run but publicly financed classrooms.

In her second annual message to the Legislature, Gov. Christine Todd Whitman said yesterday that New Jersey's plan to equalize education between rich and poor districts would be achieved by rewriting the rules of education, not by writing checks. The Governor said the problem with New Jersey's schools is not lack of money but lack of core standards for student achievement. Once those standards are set, she said, the state can help schools define the programs, materials and staffing needed to meet those goals. [Page A1.]

Insisting that a balanced budget plan was "within our grasp," President Clinton called on Congressional Republican leaders today to renew the drive for an agreement. But he was instantly rebuffed by Speaker Newt Gingrich, who accused him of misleading the public in "a political game." In a televised news conference, the President said a deal could be reached "if we set aside partisanship and work to seize this moment."

Gov. George E. Pataki announced today that he would introduce legislation giving judges the authority to order H.I.V. tests for people charged with a range of offenses, from violent felonies to disorderly conduct, if victims request them. Issuing what AIDS experts said would be the most sweeping such proposal in the nation, Mr. Pataki said victims who come into contact with bodily fluids during the commission of crimes have a right to learn the H.I.V. status of the person who was arrested.